Albert William Austin (1857-1934)

Businessman.

Born in Toronto, the son of the founder of the Dominion Bank, Toronto, Austin came to Winnipeg in 1880 and founded the Winnipeg Street Railway Company in 1881, opening the line with horse-drawn cars in 1882. The cars were operated on runners in the winter. Austin electrified the system in 1891 to produce the first commercial electric transit system in Canada. He returned to Toronto in 1894.

He is commemorated by Austin Street in Winnipeg.

More information:

Winnipeg’s Horse-Car Service
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 3, April 1959

Source:

Profile revised: 25 January 2008

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