Imagine a world in which you can travel from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne, South Bend, or Louisville — without ever taking the wheel, and instead relaxing in the quiet and comfort of a train car.

That was the reality from 1900 through 1940, when towns and cities across Indiana were connected by 2,100 miles of tracks. Let us conduct you through the history of Indiana's train lines, more commonly known as the interurban.

A black and white photograph of passengers waiting for a train at a railroad terminal in 1910. — Passengers waiting for their train at the Traction Terminal in 1910 could buy lunch, newspapers, cigars, and even optician services. | Photo by Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society

Gaining steam electricity

Indy’s first interurban line made its maiden voyage between Greenwood and Indianapolis on January 1, 1900. Regular hourly service began a few weeks later, with one-way and roundtrip fares ringing up to 20 and 30 cents, respectively. A Greenfield line was launched five months later, and then it was off to the races. By 1910, 12 companies operated direct routes to all major cities within 120 miles of Indianapolis and connecting routes to those within 200 miles.

Indy's first dedicated train terminal, Indianapolis Traction Terminal, opened in 1904 as the largest station of its kind in the world, servicing up to 25,000 passengers per day in its first week of operation. Indiana companies led the nation in customer comfort innovations, quickly offering all-steel limited cars, parlor-diners, and sleeper trains.

The original Amazon Prime

Steam railroads are so 1899. While the rapidly aging trains only ran two or three times a day, the interurbans ran 10 to 12 trains per day (and night) between major cities, quickly replacing their predecessors as the preferred mode of transit for both people and goods. Even citizens and merchants who originally complained about the interurbans' physical and noise pollution quickly came around to them when they realized same-day delivery was now possible, and the economy boomed.

A black and white photograph of passengers waiting outside a railway station. — Pictured is the Fort Ben interurban station in 1917. | Photo by Indiana Historical Society

Pump the brakes

Even though the advent of automobiles and paved highways caused interurban passenger traffic to decline — almost 40 percent by 1929 — interurbans were still going strong... until the stock market crash. A few companies merged operations and reduced service lines to cut costs, but many other companies went under entirely.

Thanks to a perfect storm of company strikes, floods on the Ohio River, fatal crashes, and the passage of the Public Utility Holding Act, the last existing interurban line between Indianapolis and Seymour ceased operations in 1941.

There are still a few reminders of the interurban left; for instance, while the Indianapolis Traction Terminal was razed in 1972, two stone eagles that once occupied it can now be found in front of the old City Hall. Just over a dozen of the 3,000+ cars were salvaged, some of which can be found at museums and railways across the country.

Want to learn more about the interurbans through hands-on experiences replicating the bygone train cars and depots? Visit exhibit "The Electric Railway: Indiana’s Interurbans" at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center through Jan. 23, 2027.