Which cities have streetcars

Tucson has reported similarly booming development. Streetcars are electric, and many buses still operate on diesel or gasoline. For cities trying to go green, this can make a streetcar line look attractive.

Then again, the question is what you're comparing streetcars to. After all, buses are already a green alternative to cars think one bus carrying 20 people versus 20 cars carrying 20 people. The Department of Transportation under President Obama changed the formula for how funds for different projects are allocated. Rather than focus purely on cost-effectiveness, says a department spokesperson, the DOT has been focusing on other factors, like boosting economic development.

Though the new DOT focus has given a boost to streetcars, it's important to recognize that this money never funds a streetcar fully, says one expert. Cities appreciate the investments and say that Washington has seen the light when it comes to transit. Buying a regular city bus means, well, just buying a regular city bus and putting it into service. Starting a streetcar line means all sorts of building, like tracks and stations. Yes, it's expensive , but those expenses can create local jobs, not to mention earn political support from labor groups and contracting firms.

One other common argument is that streetcars just add a special something to a neighborhood. And that's part of what streetcars are," says Guzzetti. While there's no way of really knowing, one thing that bodes well for streetcars is the overall growth in public transit usage.

In , US public transit had its highest ridership since , according to the American Public Transportation Association. But since then, public transit ridership has climbed considerably, meaning a growing potential customer base for streetcars. In addition, streetcars are built specifically to not be fads.

Putting rails in roadways takes time and effort and money, and they're hard to get out. This is one of the streetcar's advantages relative to a bus, advocates say, as it signals to businesses that they'll want to build along a transit line that will be around for years to come.

However, given some of streetcars' weaknesses as a transportation method — they're not terribly fast, they have to navigate traffic — and the growth in the use of public transit, it's possible that cities that build the systems will one day wish they had gone for either costlier grade-separated light rail or cheaper and more practical buses. The American Public Transportation Association has a site where it keeps all sorts of information on modern streetcars and heritage trolleys.

There are also many good public transit-focused blogs out there. Human Transit and the Transport Politic are two good ones. In addition, the Atlantic Cities — while covering all sorts of urban planning-related news — often writes thoughtful articles on transportation policy.

Many cities that have a streetcar under consideration or under construction also have blogs or sites dedicated to those streetcars where progress updates are posted. This is a running list of substantive updates, corrections, and additions to this card stack. These cards were last updated on April 22, Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.

Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Everything you need to know about the streetcar craze.

Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. What is a streetcar? How long have streetcars been around? How big is the current streetcar boom? The Seattle streetcar system. How expensive are streetcars? How do streetcar advocates justify the cost of streetcars? How are streetcars funded? Why do cities want streetcars? Tourists like them "The ride quality and accessibility of a streetcar is an advantage over buses," says Ethan Mellone, rail transit manager of Seattle's streetcar.

Developers like them It's hard to find hard evidence on this, as the Atlantic Cities noted last year, but advocates argue that putting in a streetcar draws economic development because streetcars are more permanent than a new bus line: Once the track is laid, it's not going anywhere.

The environment Streetcars are electric, and many buses still operate on diesel or gasoline. The Obama administration likes them The Department of Transportation under President Obama changed the formula for how funds for different projects are allocated. They provide a smoother ride, can carry more passengers the TTC would require three buses to provide the same capacity as the one new, low-floor streetcar currently being added to the fleet , and run on clean electricity.

After the second world war, however, most North American cities abandoned their streetcar networks as ridership declined, car ownership soared, and the cost to renew streetcar infrastructure — footed mostly by cash-strapped private transit operators — proved too steep. By , only Toronto and a handful of US cities still operated these apparently outmoded means of urban transport. Yet by the late s, streetcar lines were once again popping up in cities across the country.

These heritage streetcars use antique or replica equipment and were mainly intended to cater to tourists, or to support downtown commerce or redevelopment. The Portland service was not designed so much to appeal to tourists, but part of a strategy to foster redevelopment of its central core and inner city neighbourhoods.

Today, the Pearl District is a vibrant residential and commercial area, with new condominiums and loft conversions replacing factories and disused rail yards. Today, the Portland system serves 20, riders daily. So why are American cities now rushing to build streetcars? Meant to connect Tempe with pre-existing Valley Metro Rail lines in Phoenix and Mesa, the proposed Tempe streetcar system is still in its design phase. The city hired Stantec to design the line, and work with local artists to design artwork for the proposed 14 stops.

Design should be completed next year, and the city says construction may even start by the end of Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Cities Atlanta Austin Boston. Chicago Detroit Los Angeles. New York San Francisco. Renovation Interior Design Furniture. Filed under: Transportation. New, 3 comments. Loop Trolley car during refurbishment St.