Union Railway (Bronx)

The Union Railway Company of New York City, often referred to as the Union Railway (Bronx), was a street railway company operating primarily in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1892, it consolidated several smaller independent streetcar lines. Its primary purpose was to connect the growing residential areas of the Bronx with each other and with the ferry terminals and elevated railroads that provided access to Manhattan.

The Union Railway operated a large network of electric streetcar lines throughout the Bronx, serving neighborhoods such as Fordham, Morris Heights, Kingsbridge, and Wakefield. Its lines ran along major thoroughfares including Fordham Road, Tremont Avenue, and Southern Boulevard. The railway played a crucial role in the development and expansion of the Bronx during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, facilitating transportation and contributing to population growth.

The company was acquired by the Third Avenue Railway System in 1898 and became part of a larger consolidated network of streetcar lines in New York City. The Union Railway's operations were gradually replaced by bus routes beginning in the 1930s, as part of the citywide conversion from streetcars to buses. The last streetcar line operated by the Union Railway was discontinued in the late 1940s, marking the end of its streetcar era. While the Union Railway no longer exists as an independent entity, its legacy remains in the history of public transportation in the Bronx and its influence on the borough's development.