Question: Which company formally announced in 1894 helped Bridgeport become a major transportation hub in the 1850's?

Context paragraphs:
Aluva: Aluva (formerly Alwaye) is a municipality and town in Kochi Metropolitan Area of the Ernakulam district in Kerala, India.  It is the second-biggest town in Kochi agglomeration after Ernakulam.  Located on the River Periyar, Aluva is the industrial centre of the state.  A major transportation hub, with easy access to all major forms of transportation, Aluva acts as a corridor which links the highland districts to the rest of the state.  Cochin International Airport Limited – CIAL at Nedumbassery is 11.7 km from Aluva.  Aluva is more famous for its accessibility through rail (Aluva Railway Station), air (CIAL Airport) and metro (Kochi Metro Rail Limited).

Bắc Giang: Bắc Giang (  ) is a city in Vietnam.  It is the capital of Bắc Giang Province.  Its name, deriving from that of the Province Sino-Vietnamese, means "north of the river."  The location is very convenient for transportation, it is 50 km north of Hanoi, in the middle position on major transportation routes (roads, international railway) connecting Hanoi with the Lang Son City and Dong Dang international border gate; Bac Giang locates in an important transportation hub.  The Thương River runs through the town's southern part heading for Haiphong.

Bridgeport Traction Company: The Bridgeport Traction Company was a streetcar transit company in the area around Bridgeport, Connecticut.  The company was incorporated in 1893 through the consolidation of the Bridgeport Horse Railroad Company, Bridgeport Railway Company, and the East End Railway Company.  The East End Railway Company was established in 1895 as the Bridgeport and West Stratford Horse Railroad Company.  The Bridgeport Horse Railroad Company was incorporated in 1864.  The Bridgeport Railway Company was formed in 1893.  At the time, streetcars were a more affordable form of transportation for those commuting between Bridgeport and Norwalk.  Using streetcars to get to their destination was half the price of using the train.  In 1899 president Andrew Radel formed a company that was intended to control the world's oyster trade.

Wuhan: Wuhan ( ) is the capital of Hubei province, China, and is the most populous city in Central China.  It lies in the eastern Jianghan Plain at the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers.  Arising out of the conglomeration of three cities, Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, Wuhan is known as "Jiusheng Tongqu (the nine provinces' leading thoroughfare)"; it is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways passing through the city and connecting to other major cities.  Because of its key role in domestic transportation, Wuhan was sometimes referred to as "the Chicago of China" by foreign sources.

Illinois and Michigan Canal: The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.  In Illinois, it ran 96 mi from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru.  The canal crossed the Chicago Portage and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era.  It was opened in 1848, its function was largely replaced by the wider and shorter Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.

List of airports in the Tampa Bay Area: The Tampa Bay Area serves as a major transportation hub for Florida and the Southeastern United States with three international airports, several local airports and a military airfield serving the area.  The following airports are located in the eight-county area surrounding Tampa Bay, including the major cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota, as well as surrounding communities.

Bridgeport Historic District: The Bridgeport Historic District is a historic district in Bridgeport, Alabama.  Founded in the 1810s as a farming community, Bridgeport became a major transportation hub with the coming of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad and Southern Railway in the 1850s, in addition to its Tennessee River port.  Due to the importance of its rail bridge, the town changed hands several times during the course of the Civil War.  Industry began to move into the area in the late 1880s and 1890s, and commercial development of the downtown area soon followed.  The district retains several one- and two-story commercial buildings, most constructed out of brick in simple styles popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Many of the elite built their homes on Battery Hill, overlooking the river.  The district contains several Victorian and Queen Anne houses, as well as Bungalows and Vernacular styles.  The Mission Revival Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad depot, three railroad bridges, and three Civil War fortifications are also contained in the district.  The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Transportation in Chicago: Chicago, Illinois is the third-largest city in the United States and a major transportation hub for the Midwest.  The city is served by two major airports, and is the main freight rail hub of North America.

Southern Railway (U.S.): The Southern Railway (reporting mark SOU) (also known as Southern Railway Company and now known as the current incarnation of the Norfolk Southern Railway) is a name of a class 1 railroad that was based in the Southern United States.  The railroad is the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894.

North Station: North Station is a major transportation hub located at Causeway and Nashua Streets in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.  It is one of the city's two inbound terminals for Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail trains, the other being South Station.  The main concourse of North Station is located at the street level immediately below TD Garden, a major sports arena.  The arena is also used for concerts and other events, taking advantage of the extensive transportation connections at the site.

Supporting paragraphs: Bridgeport Historic District Southern Railway (U.S.)
Answer: Southern Railway