Lehigh Valley Transit Company
The Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) was a regional transport company that was headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company began operations in 1901, as an urban trolley and interurban rail transport company. It operated successfully into the 1930s, but struggled financially during the Great Depression, and was saved from abandonment by a dramatic ridership increase during and following World War II.
1913 map of the Lehigh Valley Transit Company | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Locale | Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Dates of operation | 1905–1972 |
| Predecessor | Allentown and Bethlehem Rapid Transit Company (1891) |
| Successor | LANta (1972) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 600 V DC trolley wire |
In 1951, LVT once again financially struggled, and ended its 36-mile (58 km) interurban rail service from Allentown to Philadelphia. In 1952, it ended its Allentown-area local trolley service. It operated local bus service in the Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton areas in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania until ultimately going out of business in 1972.