Early railway transportation in Grand Rapids began in 1865, to connect with the Detroit-Milwaukee train station. Over time, several independent lines were opened and operated as well. The railways were combined into one company, Street and Railway Co., in 1883. Competition within the city soon sprang up. In February 1885, the Valley City Street and Cable Co was formalized and became operational in 1888. Valley City Street and Cable Co brought the first cable cars to Grand Rapids, in order to bring transportation service to Michigan and Lyon St. hills. The lack of a connection between the two companies caused confusion among riders. This led to the unifying of the two companies in 1890 under the name Consolidated Street Railway Co.

Under the Consolidated Street Railway Co, new electric lines were introduced. After struggling for ten years, Consolidated Street Railway Co. was bought out in 1900 by E. W. Clark Co. of Philadelphia and was renamed the Grand Rapids Railway Co. The change brought many improvements to the railway service, including heavier tracks, double cars and expanded service which bolstered a healthy ridership that would last for many years. In 1925, the Grand Rapids Railway Co. suffered a serious setback when a fire destroyed 57 streetcars. The process of rebuilding brought to light a lack of streetcar improvements within the industry. With Grand Rapids at the forefront, industry wide improvements were made to streetcar design and the new modern streetcars were introduced into the city in 1927.

The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 crippled the streetcar industry in Grand Rapids. Streetcars were phased out in favor of buses. The process was hastened by a city-wide street widening, which would have required a resetting of the tracks. By 1934 buses had taken over all of the systems, and in 1935 the last streetcar in Grand Rapids made its final run. The Grand Rapids Railway Co. sold its assets and re-consolidated as Grand Rapids Motor Coach Co in 1937 after declaring bankruptcy. It retained some interest in Ramona Park until their closure in 1950.