Editing Spokane, Washington (section)

====Mass transportation====
{{See also|Spokane Transit Authority}}
Before the influx of automobiles, Spokane's electric [[Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad|streetcar and interurban lines]] played a dominant role in moving people and goods around Spokane. Streetcars were installed as early as 1888, when they were pulled by horses.<ref>Creighton (2013), p.64</ref> Many older side streets in Spokane still have visible streetcar rails embedded in them. Streetcar service was reduced due to declining ridership beginning in 1922, and by August 1936, all lines had been abandoned or converted to motor buses.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |title=Spokane's Streetcars |work=Essay 8080 |publisher=HistoryLink |date=January 25, 2007 |url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8080| access-date = December 7, 2014}}</ref>

Spokane has intercity rail and bus service provided by [[Amtrak]], [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], [[Flixbus]] and [[Jefferson Lines]] via the [[Spokane Intermodal Center]]. The city is a stop for Amtrak's ''[[Empire Builder]]'' on its way to and from Chicago's [[Union Station (Chicago)|Union Station]] en route to [[Seattle (Amtrak station)|Seattle]] and [[Union Station (Portland)|Portland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Amtrak Stations – Spokane, WA (SPK) |publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=SPK| access-date = December 7, 2014}}</ref> Amtrak's through service to Seattle and Portland is a legacy of [[BNSF Railway]]'s old [[Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway]] trackage.<ref name="Trains">{{cite web |last=Kelly |first=Bruce |title=Hot Spots: Spokane, Wash. |publisher=Trains |url=http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20Reference/Hot%20Spots/2006/07/Spokane%20Wash.aspx| access-date = December 7, 2014}}</ref> Spokane is a major railway junction for the BNSF Railway and the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] and is the western terminus for the [[Montana Rail Link]].<ref name="Trains" />

Public transportation throughout the Spokane area is provided by the [[Spokane Transit Authority]] (STA), which operates a fleet of 164 buses. Its service area covers roughly {{convert|248|sqmi|km2}} and reaches 85 percent of the county's population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Spokane Transit |url=http://www.spokanetransit.com/about-sta/view/faq-frequently-asked-questions/| access-date = December 7, 2014| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141212030906/https://www.spokanetransit.com/about-sta/view/faq-frequently-asked-questions| archive-date = December 12, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The [[STA Plaza]] in downtown Spokane acts as the regional hub for most STA routes. As a part of the system's high performance transit network plan, STA introduced Eastern Washington's first bus rapid transit (BRT) route, [[City Line (Spokane, Washington)|City Line]], in July 2023. STA is also planning a [[Division Bus Rapid Transit|Division Street BRT]].