Christchurch Tramway Board
| Abbreviation | CTB |
|---|---|
| Successor | Christchurch Transport Limited |
| Formation | 26 September 1902 (constituted) |
| Extinction | 31 October 1989 |
| Type | Municipal authority |
| Legal status | Disestablished |
| Purpose | Public transport |
| Headquarters | Carruca House, Christchurch |
| Location |
|
|
Region served
|
Christchurch city, neighbouring boroughs and road districts |
|
Chairman
|
William Reece (first) Patrick Neary (last) |
|
Main organ
|
Board of elected members |
|
Formerly called
|
Christchurch Tramway Board |
The Christchurch Transport Board was an autonomous special-purpose municipal authority responsible for the construction, acquisition, and ownership of local transport assets and the operation of public transport services in the Christchurch region of New Zealand’s South Island. Constituted as the Christchurch Tramway Board in 1902, it operated trams and buses to Christchurch's outer suburbs and satellite towns for 84 years until being disestablished in 1989 by local government reforms.
The Board assumed control of the existing network of privately run tramways and converted these to electric operation whilst also extending the network. Economy measures resulted in several tram routes being converted to trolley bus and later diesel bus operation from the 1930s. The remaining tram routes were progressively closed in the decade following the end of World War II as the infrastructure required renewal or replacement. The last of the Board's trams were withdrawn in 1954, followed by its trolley buses in 1956. Its operations were fully converted to diesel buses in 1964 when the last of its older vehicles were replaced, including its petrol buses.
Subsequent to its demise, the Board's bus operation was transferred to a Local Authority Trading Enterprise (LATE) and was just one of several service providers in Christchurch following deregulation in mid-1991. The remnants of the Board survive today as the Christchurch City Council-owned Red Bus, the name by which it has been known since 1999.
From 1880 a series of tramway routes had been constructed and operated by private companies using both horse and steam as motive power. While these services heralded a major improvement to local transport at the time, at around the turn of the century there was a mood for change. Other towns and cities around the country had either already established electric tram networks or were considering their introduction including Auckland (1902), Dunedin (1903), and Wellington (1904).
The concessions under which the Christchurch Tramway Company was operating were due to expire at various times between September 1899 and 1919. With this in mind it sought to negotiate with the various local bodies concerned for an extension of these concessions, both to enable it to continue its business and to provide some certainty for future investment. With public sentiment in favour of electrification, and the parlous financial state of the private tramway companies making it unlikely that they would be able to provide such a service, the councils were opposed to renewing the concessions.
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Wikipedia