Indianapolis Traction Terminal and Terminal Building

Between 1900 and the mid-1930's, the best way to get from city to city in Indiana and much of the rest of the U.S. was the "interurban" rail car. Typically these were single cars that were slightly more comfortable than a trolley.

Indianapolis was the hub of all the interurban lines in the state and the Indianapolis Terminal Traction station was the largest of its kind in the nation -- in fact it was the largest in the world.

In its heyday, the terminal boasted nine interurban lines, but with the ready availability of automobiles, the streetcar system all but ceased in the 1930s. The terminal was paved over and converted into a bus terminal until 1968 and was demolished in 1972.