A Conservative Vision of Tomorrow's Urban Transportation
A Study Prepared by the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation
By Paul M. Weyrich and William S. Lind
The Free Congress Foundation
717 Second Street
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 546-3000
June 2002
Click Here For Printable PDF Version.
Contents
Executive Summary
For more than half a century, the context in which public transport
operated was suburbanization. But recently, that has begun to change. Urban
downtowns are reviving, and new towns are being built to traditional patterns.
Not only can streetcars serve these non-suburban areas, they need streetcars
in order to flourish.
Streetcars -- which we define as rail transit vehicles designed for local
transportation, powered by electricity received from an overhead wire -- differ
from both buses and Light Rail. Streetcars can be modern, Vintage (antique)
or Heritage reproduction) vehicles. All around the country, cities are building
new streetcar lines. The most successful are tied in closelywith the local transit
system.
Construction costs for streetcar lines vary widely, although operating costs
are almost always low. In general, construction of a streetcar line should cost
less than $10 million per mile, one-half the "should cost" figure of Light Rail.
Three case studies look in detail at three streetcar lines with varying characteristics:
the McKinney Avenue line in Dallas, which is operated almost entirely with volunteer
labor; Memphis, Tennessee, which like Dallas uses Vintage streetcars but is
operated by transit system personnel and serves as a precursor to Light Rail;
and Portland, Oregon, the first streetcar line built in the U.S. since World
War II that uses modern equipment.
In its conclusion, the study notes that some form of streetcar line is possible
in any city or town. The appendices offer some practical steps and sources of
help in undertaking a streetcar line project.
Photo: Peggy Webb, courtesy of Henry Ewert
Photo from frontispiece of The Story of the B.C. Electric Railway
by Henry Ewert (Whitecap Books Ltd., 1986).
What's Right with This Picture?
Everything. It is a fine summer day in New Westminster, British Columbia,
in the year 1909. Car 39 has stopped briefly on Park Row on its way into town.
It carries its passengers through a world that is ordered, serene, at peace.
Their eyes feast upon the glories of Queen Anne architecture. They hear the
birds and the trolley wire sing a duet in an ether as yet unpolluted by engine
noise or boom boxes. Their poised servants, the motorman and conductor of the
car, stand as visible assurances of responsibility and reliability. God is in
His Heaven and all is right with the world.
To us, the picture is almost painful. It reminds us of a world we had, and
have lost. But it does more than that. From the standpoint of public transportation,
it points not only to the past, but also to a possible future. This photograph
shows a virtually perfect integration of a highly attractive, widely desirable
means of public transit -- the streetcar -- with the environment in which it
operates.
The streetcar right-of-way is visually less conspicuous than the boardwalk
on the other side of the street. The track is barely visible, and much of the
track bed appears to be planted with clover (or maybe just weeds). The wires
are few and the poles blend in with the trees. The car, though large for its
time, is small enough so that its surroundings dominate the view. It is all
done to a human scale, comfortable, friendly, welcoming.
How many 21st century Americans, if offered such a streetcar for their own
town or city, would turn it down? Offer it we can, because the cost of building
and operating a streetcar like this, a Heritage trolley, is remarkably low --
lower than any other form of rail transportation. As our study will show, virtually
any place that wants a streetcar line can have one.
The genesis of this study lies in a remark the mayor of Milwaukee, John Norquist,
made to the authors. "When I tried to get the people of Milwaukee to go for
Light Rail, they said, 'No thanks. We don't even know what Light Rail is. '
When I said instead, 'Let's bring back the streetcars, ' they replied, 'Hey,
that's a great idea! '"
All across the country, transit advocates, transit agencies and local officials
see the need for rail transportation. While buses in many places carry only
the transit dependent, rail service can appeal effectively to riders from choice
-- people who have cars and can drive, but choose to ride transit instead. Most
riders from choice represent a car removed from rush hour traffic, which benefits
everyone, including the person who still drives.
The problem is, how to get started? Most cities and virtually all towns lost
their rail transit at least half a century ago. Most of their citizens have
never ridden a train of any kind. It is hard to go to people who have never
been on a train and ask them to vote hundreds of millions or billions of dollars
for "Light Rail," a term that has no meaning to them.
But a streetcar is different. Even if they have never ridden or even seen
a streetcar, there seems to be an ancestral memory of what they were, and it
is a pleasant memory. It brings to mind an earlier and happier time, when "going
down town" was a major event, and downtown itself was an exciting place to shop,
go to dinner and see a show. Streetcars fit a downtown well, and not only downtowns
but also older residential neighborhoods and new developments built to traditional
designs. All of these are coming back, or trying to, and streetcars can help.
Not only do people understand what a streetcar is, and think well of it, a
proposal to bringback streetcars need not break the bank. Instead of asking
the voters for hundreds of millions of dollars, a few million will usually suffice,
at least to get the first line up and running.of ten , the money may be available
without any new taxes.
Hence the purpose of this study: to show cities and towns, and transit advocates
in them, how they can inaugurate rail transit in a way that makes it easy. The
answer is simple: bring back the streetcars! We will take a broad look at the
return of the streetcar -- it is already happening -- and then carefully examine
three case studies of successful new streetcar lines: McKinney Avenue in Dallas,
which uses Vintage (antique) streetcars and volunteer labor (and keeps costs
remarkably low); Memphis, Tennessee, which also uses vintage equipment but has
professional operators who are transit system employees; and Portland, Oregon,
which recently opened the first post-war streetcar line that uses modern equipment.
Each of these case studies offers a model other cities and towns can follow.
Of course, we do not intend to present streetcars as the solution to all transit
needs. They cannot carry vast crowds of commuters in from the countryside at
high speeds; that requires commuter rail. They cannot offer fast suburban service;
that need is met best by Light Rail. They cannot substitute for subways in large
cities (though they may usefully augment them, and complement the bus system).
What streetcars can do, almost everywhere, is help rail transit make a start.
They can give people something to see, ride, understand and like, so that when
it does come time for commuter rail or Light Rail, rail transit is no longer
an unknown quantity. People can relate to it, in their own town or city, because
they have ridden it or at least enjoyed the sight of it passing by. And, knowing
what rail transit is, they feel comfortable voting for more.
We do not mean to suggest that the streetcar is useful only as an appetizer
before a larger rail transit banquet. It remains a good and useful way of getting
around town, all on its own. In fact, when other modes of rail transit are available,
people still like streetcars. When San Francisco built a subway under Market
Street, it ended streetcar service on the tracks above (while wisely leaving
them in place). Several years ago, it put the streetcar service back,usingVintage
trolleys. Now, those streetcars are full, because many regular riders prefer
riding them to the subway. Similarly, when the authors visited Toronto a few
years ago, the Toronto Transit Commission told us that of all the transit modes
they offered -- bus, trolleybus, subway, and streetcars -- people said in surveys
that they liked the streetcars best.
That brings us back to our wonderful photo from New Westminster, British Columbia,
in 1909. Our ancestors were not fools. They had some good things going. If we
are as wise as they, we will know that what worked once, can work again. The
same simple, inexpensive technology, the unobtrusive tracks and wires, the charming
trolley cars with their inlaid wood and brushed brass that carried our forefathers
in safety and comfort around their cities can carry us around ours. Perhaps
the best resource for a community looking for new transit solutions is a picture
of its own past.
Bring Back the Streetcars !
The title of our paper -- the fourth in our series of studies of public transit,
considered from a conservative point of view -- is straightforward enough. Short
of replacing the propellers on our beanies with trolley poles, we could not
make it plainer. Virtually all American cities and many towns, even relatively
small ones, used to have streetcars. Someone took them away from us (if you
want to know who, ask Roger Rabbit). And now we want them back. We want to be
able to ride a mile and smile the while, just as our grandparents did, on steel
rails under electric power. What could be more natural for conservatives than
wanting something good we used to have and have lost?
But why, you may ask, do we see an old-fashioned technology ("old-fashioned"
is not a bad word to conservatives) serving as tomorrow's urban transportation?
To answer that question, we need to step back a bit and look at more than public
transit. We need to see an important change in the context in which public transit
operates.
The Context : Restoring Our Cities and
Building NewTowns
For more than half a century, the context in which public transportation
operated was increasing suburbanization, sometimes called "sprawl." Driven in
part by government policies and in part by normal human desires for space, privacy
and safety, more and more people moved out of cities and towns and into suburbs.
There, they lived in single-family homes on lots large enough for children to
play in, which meant relatively low density. They shopped in shopping centers
several miles from their homes. Schools were also often beyond walking distance.
Usually, they worked even farther away. Most Americans live this way today.
As conservatives, we do not join the Left in condemning suburbs. We understand
why many people want to live in them. They are good places to have children
and raise a family. Most American families with children will probably continue
to live in suburbs. Government should not try to keep them from doing so.
But over the past several decades, two important counter trends have developed,
trends that provide a new context for bringing back streetcars. Just like the
suburbs, these trends also reflect what many people want.
The first is the recovery and restoration of city centers. All over the country,
from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, "downtowns" are making a comeback.
Why? Because even when people live in suburbs, they want a physical "center"
to their lives that offers more than a shopping center can. They want a place
not too far from where they live that offers noble, historic buildings, real
architecture instead of mere construction. They want the major entertainment
venues only a city can support, sports stadiums and concert halls, museums and
theaters. They want restaurant districts with independent restaurants, not chains,
and specialty shops, like good used bookstores, that need a city to survive.
They simply want the old experience of "going down town," where doing so is
an event in itself, in a way that going to the shopping center can never be.
Cleveland, Ohio, provides a good example. From the 1890s through the 1930s,
Cleveland was America's model city. Its downtown was a splendid place, full
of grand buildings, wonderful stores, excellent restaurants and one of the best
public libraries in the country. Euclid Avenue -- once considered the most beautiful
street in America -- bustled with activity, the sidewalks thronged with well-dressed
people shopping at distinguished department stores such as Higbee's and Halle's
.
Then, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Cleveland's downtown faded away. The great
stores closed, the good restaurants followed. The buildings grew shabby. Litter
blew through the streets a ndbums and beggars took over the parks. It seemed
as if the middle class that had moved to the suburbs had lost all interest in
the city itself. They never came there any more.
Then, in the 1990s, the situation turned around again. The malls and shopping
centers started drying up, and people began coming down town. The city built
a new baseball stadium. Cleveland Union Terminal was redeveloped. The old industrial
area called "the Flats," down along the Cuyahoga river, became a major restaurant
and entertainment district. The city swept up the litter and encouraged the
bums to move on. Now, if you visit downtown Cleveland, you will find once again
a vibrant urban center, with lots to do and lots to see (go on a weekday, when
you can visit the interiors of Cleveland's great banks; they rival anything
you will find in London or Paris). What has happened in Cleveland is happening
elsewhere; city centers are coming back to life. (And if there is a downtown
anywhere that begs for Heritage streetcars, it's Cleveland's . )
On a somewhat smaller scale, something similar is occurring where people live.
While suburbs are great places to raise children, more and more Americans don't
have children (a sad development, we would note). Some are "empty nesters,"
whose children have grown up and moved on. Others are not marrying, or are marrying
but not having children. For many of these people, the spread-out nature of
the suburb (you usually cannot walk to anything) is inconvenient. In response,
some are returning to urban living. Others are rediscovering towns .
How many people have visited a small, historic town and said to themselves,
"Boy, would I like to live in a place like this!" Well, thanks to an architect
named Andres Duany and a movement called Traditional Neighborhood Design, you
can. In the 1980s, Mr. Duany pioneered a then-radical notion: building new towns,
designed just the way they would have been in the 19th or even 18th century,
as alternatives to suburbs. His towns had all the features towns used to have:
grid street patterns; alleys (to keep parked cars and garages off the streets);
a mix of residences, shops and businesses; even front porches and picket fences.
Mr.du any 's towns are designed for people, not for cars, and people love them.
If you visit one of his developments, such as Kentlands, Maryland, near Washington,
D.C., you will see why. And, people will pay to live there: homes in Kentlands
sell for a premium of $30,000 to $40,000 over the same floor space in surrounding
suburban developments.
Traditional Neighborhood Design, as towns such as Mr. Duany's are called,
is spreading, just as the revival of downtowns spread a decade or so ago. Both
provide context for bringingback the streetcars. It is not merely that streetcars
can serve downtowns and small towns, and serve them well, as we know from history.
The fact is, towns and especially downtowns need streetcars.
Photo: W.S. Lind
Main Street Kentlands: Streetcars would be a perfect fit.
In a town or downtown setting, streetcars do many things. Obviously, they
provide mobility, without the automobile and in a way that is friendly to pedestrians.
In addition, they bring development and channel it where it is wanted. They
attract tourists. They let people who use transit to get to town move around
in the downtown (in transit language, the "distributor" function), or, in Traditional
Neighborhood Design residential areas, they pick people up from near their homes
and take them to the commuter rail or Light Rail line (the "collector" function)
to go into the city. They bring new people to transit; as San Francisco Municipal
Railway General Manager Michaelt. Burns said, "People who wouldn't ride a bus
will ride a streetcar." 1 And, perhaps most important, streetcars
say, "This town, this downtown, is here to stay. It's not going to go down hill
again." George Sanborn, reference librarian of the Massachusetts State Transportation
Library, put it well. "Every city's streetcars were different. When the streetcars
went away, so did the flavor of that city." 2 Bringing back
the streetcars puts back the flavor our cities and towns have lost, and tells
the world that it is not going to go away again.
In their heyday, (streetcars) were machines that generated affection, combining
power and modesty. They were real trains but without the noise and smoke; they
went over high bridges and quietly down tree-lined streets, across wide distances,
into bustling downtowns -- yet for all their modern power and range, you could
catch them on your own street corner. The future of the trolley may depend on
certain memories, of that swaying and quiet clicking, the arrival heralded by
a familiar bell. 3
What Is a Streetcar?
Let 's say your downtown or small town -- old or new -- realizes it
needs streetcars to fulfill its hopes and dreams for its future, a future not
unlike the past. How does it begin to explain, to the larger public, the politicians,
the press and the planners, what streetcars are?
Let 's begin with a definition:
Streetcars are rail transit vehicles designed for local transportation, powered
by electricity received from an overhead wire.
That's simple enough. As always, there will be a few exceptions. Some streetcars,
in cities such as Washington, D.C., where overhead wires were forbidden, got
their electric power from a "slot" in the street, a few were powered by storage
batteries, and those now running in Galveston, Texas, have diesel engines. But
the general rule has been and will remain electric motors with an overhead wire
and a trolley pole. After all, that is why we call them "trolleys."
Photo: W.S.Lind
Streetcars in Service, Philadelphia.
Rails are a must. You cannot turn a bus into a streetcar for the same reason
you cannot make a sow's ear into a silk purse: the original material always
shows through.
Streetcars differ from buses, but they also differ from Light Rail (although
streetcars and LigtRail work well together, and can even share the same tracks).
The main difference is purpose: as our definition says, streetcars are for local
transportation. A Light Rail line may operate ten or twenty miles out beyond
the downtown, running at high speeds between suburban stations spaced a mile
or more apart. Streetcars operate in the downtown and perhaps a bit beyond it,
picking people up and letting them off at almost every street corner. Often,
people will use Light Rail to come into town, then use a streetcar to get around
town. Of course, along downtown portions of the Light Rail line, it also serves
as local transportation. But the much lower construction and operating costs
of streetcars mean they can serve the downtown more widely, and do so without
reducing the overall "line speed" of Light Rail trains.
A table showing the differences between Light Rail and streetcars might be
useful:
| Characteristic |
Light Rail |
Streetcar |
|
| Right-Of-Way |
Mostly on private right-of-way; needs broad curves and gentle
grades. |
Mostly on streets in mixed traffic; can adapt to any built
environment. |
|
| Materials |
All new, heavy duty |
Often used, light |
|
| Overhead wire |
Catenary |
Simple span wire |
|
| Vehicles |
Large, modern, usually in two or three-car trains |
Small, often traditional |
|
| Stations |
Separate, built, often massive to serve whole trains |
Sign indicating 'Streetcar Stop" |
|
| Labor |
Paid |
Often volunteer, at least in part |
|
| Capital Cost |
Should not exceed $20 million per mile though many systems
do |
Average less than $10 million per mile |
|
| Functions |
Line haul, distribution |
Distribution, downtown loop or shuttle |
|
| Route length |
Usually more than ten miles |
Always less than ten miles |
|
| Peak use |
Rush hour |
No real 'peak', ridership spread through day |
|
| Main users |
Commuters |
Some commuters, also many tourists, shoppers |
Photo: W.S. Lind
Light Rail
Photo: W.S. Lind
A Streetcar
Vintage and Heritage Streetcars
A streetcar line may use modern, Vintage or Heritage streetcars. While
most streetcar lines in other countries use modern cars, only one American line
does so, that in Portland, Oregon. Most American streetcars are "Vintage" or
"Heritage" cars. What is the difference? Vintage streetcars are actual antiques,
built sometime between the 1890s and the 1950s. Heritage streetcars are new
cars built to antique designs.
Can actual antiques provide modern transportation? Yes, they can. The best
example is the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line in New Orleans. The St. Charles
Avenue line is the oldest public transit line in North America; the first tracks
were laid in 1834. Just over six miles long, the St. Charles Avenue line carries
about 23,000 people on an average weekday, all in a fleet of 35 Perley Thomas
streetcars built in 1922 and 1923. 5 Why hasn't New Orleans bought modern streetcars?
Because the citizens would revolt if it did! They love their old streetcars,
with their wooden seats, clanging bells and windows that open. They offer all
the charms of the good old days, plus real transportation.
Photo: Paul M. Weyrich
A New Orleans Streetcar.
While the St. Charles Avenue cars are Vintage streetcars, New Orleans is now
building -- in its own shops -- 23 Heritage cars for the new Canal Street streetcar
line. These will look like the Perley Thomas cars, but they will be replicas,
which is what makes them Heritage streetcars .
Which make the most sense for your city's or town's new streetcar line, modern
streetcars, Vintage cars or Heritage cars? That is up to you. In general, modern
streetcars are the most expensive, but they offer air conditioning (which Heritage
cars can also offer) and quieter, smoother rides. If you want to project a modern
image, you will probably want modern streetcars. Vintage streetcars make the
most sense if you have streetcars that actually used to run in your city or
town, or if you want to use the famous Art Deco PCC streetcars, which are readily
available. Heritage streetcars are easier to maintain than a mixed fleet of
Vintage cars, and, being new, can stand up to heavy usage. At the same time,
they offer a historic look and feel that fit well into a downtown or small town
made up mainly of historic buildings.
Photo: Paul M. Weyich
PCC Streetcar in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Our advice would be, get streetcars that fit well with their surroundings.
Because streetcars and cities are natural partners, that isn't hard to do.
Who Else Is Doing It?
When you propose a new streetcar line for your city or town, someone
will probably ask, "Is anyone else doing this?" The answer is yes. Lots of places
are, so many it is hard to keep track of them all.
Other than the new streetcar in Portland, Oregon, all the existing lines use
Heritage or Vintage equipment. To keep things simple, we will refer to them
all as "Heritage lines" here. These Heritage lines are of two types: stand-alone
operations, which are not integrated into the rest of the local public transit
system, and integrated lines. All the lines covered here are " common carriers,"
which people take to go somewhere, not just for a trolley ride.
The stand-alone lines operate mostly for tourists, although they do provide
some local transportation to residents. They include:
Detroit, Michigan.
This was the first purpose-built Heritage streetcar line in the U.S. It opened
in 1976. The narrow-gauge line is 1.2 miles long, running through downtown.
Detroit from the Renaissance Center to Grand Circus Park.
It has a wonderful collection of nine antique streetcars, including three
built in the 1890s. The hours of operation are from 8 AM to 6 PM weekdays
and 10 AM to 6 PM on weekends. The fare is 50 cents, and average daily ridership
is about 150 in spring and summer and 60 in winter.
Tucson, Arizona.
Tucson 's Old Pueblo Trolley runs for 1.1 miles from the main gate of the
University of Arizona to downtown; many of its passengers are students at
theuniversity. This streetcar line is operated solely by volunteers, and has
just one streetcar currently in service, a 1953 Hankai Electric Railway car
from Japan. At present, service isoffered only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
However, the line is to be extended to the Rio Nuevo historical area, at which
point daily operation is likely. Three more streetcars are being restored
for service, including a 1936 tram from Brussels, Belgium and a 1912 AmericanCar
Company streetcar from St. Louis.
Charlotte, North Carolina.
At present, the non-profit Charlotte Trolley runs weekdays-- only over a
1.2-mile non-electrified line (the car tows a generator). But the city of
Charlotte has invested $10 million in the operation, which will extend the
line 1.5 miles through (literally!) the Convention Center and into downtown;
the whole line will also be electrified. When the extension is completed,
Charlotte's five streetcars will operate seven days a week. The fleet includes
a 1922 Birney Safety car, a 1927 Brill Birney, a 1949 St. Louis PCC, a 1927
Southern Public Utilities car and a 1914 United Electric Car from Preston,
England. Amazingly, new apartment buildings, condominiums and restaurants
are already being built with the streetcar line as the focus. Current ridership
is about 200 people per day; that should increase substantially when the
extension opens.
San Pedro, California.
San Pedro will soon begin operation of one of the great icons from the streetcar
era -- the famous "Red Cars" of Pacific Electric. Intended to serve passengers
from the cruise ships that dock in San Pedro, this 1.5-mile line will operate
four days per week with three Pacific Electric cars -- one original and two
newly-built replicas. Theplanned fare is 25 cents, and the new line is to begin
operations before the end of 2002.
Little Rock, Arkansas.
Service is to begin in 2003 on a 2.2-mile line from North Little Rock to downtown.
Three Heritage cars are being built by Gomaco in Iowa. Fares are likely to
be 50 cents, operation will be seven days a week and ridership is estimated
at 1500 daily.
Several cities that have Light Rail lines also operate Heritage streetcars
over portions of the Light Rail route. MAX in Portland, Oregon, runs replicas
of its famous "Council crest" cars from Lloyd Center to Downtown Portland
on Saturdays and Sundays from March through December. The fare is free and
the cars carry around 6000 people each day. Two Council Crest cars also now
operate on weekends on Portland's new streetcar line. San Jose, California,
also runs historic cars through the downtown, on the Light Rail tracks, charging
regular Light Rail fares of $1.25.
In addition to these stand-alone streetcar lines, a number of cities have
streetcar lines that are tied in with the regular transit system. Interestingly,
some are "survivors" -- streetcar lines that simply never quit or received new
equipment, and with the passage of time now find themselves numbered among the
Heritage lines. We have already touched on one of these, perhaps the most famous:
New Orleans's St. Charles Avenue line. That line, with its fleet of Perley Thomas
streetcars built in the 1920s, is fully a part of the New Orleans transit system,
carrying some 23,000 passengers each day for a fare of $1.25. It has also become
one of New Orleans 's major tourist attractions, almost on a par with San Francisco's
famous cable cars.
Not only has the St. Charles Avenue line survived, it is so successful that
it has sparked a general streetcar revival in New Orleans. In 1988, the city
opened a new Riverfront line. Now, the Canal Street streetcar line is being
restored. About five miles of new track with 23 replica Perley Thomas cars will
run from the Esplanade stop of the Riverfront line to the famous New Orleans
cemeteries (it will also connect with the St. Charles Avenue line). And when
that is open, New Orleans intends to restore the famous "streetcar named Desire,"
on a new line that will connect most of the city's tourist attractions. Evidently,
a city that thrives on tourism has found streetcars a good investment.
Another "survivor" Heritage streetcar line is to be found in Boston, Massachusetts.
Many years ago, the "T," as the Boston transit system is universally known,
built what they called a high-speed trolley line, connecting the Ashmont Heavy
Rail Red Line station with the community of Mattapan, about two-and-a-half miles
away. In the 1940s, the line was assigned a group of PCC cars. And then, as
if by magic, it all just froze in time. The same PCC cars are still running
today, from 4: 30 AM every morning to 1: 30 AM the next day, carrying about
7000 passengers daily. The T has tried for years to close the Ashmont-Mattapan
line, but community pressure has stopped them every time. The people the line
serves -- who are mostly poor and mostly black -- love their streetcars and
are not about to let anyone take them away. Recently, the T relented and began
rebuilding the old PCC cars, restoring their beautiful original color scheme
and getting them ready for their second half-century of service.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia work is underway to restore an old streetcar line,
Route 15 -- Girard Avenue, which has been served by buses since 1992. SEPTA,
the Philadelphia transit system, has decided to use restored PCC cars rather
than modern Light Rail Vehicles on Rou te15, and it is now rebuilding about
20 PCCs. As in Boston, the "new" cars will be entering their second half-century
of service. In addition to local neighborhoods, Route 15 -- Girard Avenue runs
past a number of historic churches and the famous Philadelphia Zoo, so the restored
line may serve tourists as well as residents.
In addition to survivors, a number of new streetcar lines are also fully integrated
components of the local transit system. One of the most interesting is the new
Heritage streetcar line in the small city (90,000) of Kenosha, Wisconsin. When
the old American Motors plant right in the heart of downtown Kenosha closed
and then was demolished, it left a potentially disastrous hole in the city.
But a young city official named Joe McCarthy saw an opportunity. Guided by his
vision, Kenosha built a Heritage streetcar line in the form of a loop that connects
the train station and the waterfront, running alongside the vacant land. The
line cost just $ 4 million, including five PCC streetcars.
And it is working! New housing developments are going up where the car factory
once stood; their residents can take the streetcar from their doorstep to catch
commuter trains to Chicago. A new museum has opened at the waterfront, and it
has almost no parking; its visitors come by streetcar. Much of the downtown
business district lies on or a short walk from the streetc arline. Most Kenosha
bus lines interchange with the trolley.
Tragically, Joe McCarthy died of a heart attack just weeks after the streetcar
line began service. But its success will be a memorial to him for many decades
to come.
One of the first integrated streetcar lines is Seattle's Route 99, the Waterfront
line, which began operating in 1982. The 2.5-mile line has five former Melbourne,
Australia streetcars built in 1927. It operates seven days a week from 7 AM
to 11 PM, with cars running every twenty minutes. Fares are $1 to $1.25, depending
on time of day, and Route 99 is fully integrated with the Seattle bus system.
The southern end of the line is across the street from the International District
station, which is a major terminal for the trolleybus subway. Commuters make
up a portion of the 400 average weekday riders; Saturday ridership is about
800 and Sunday's approaches 600. Some downtown special events have seen the
line carry several thousand people on a single evening.
Spring, 2002, is scheduled to see the opening of Tampa, Florida's new Heritage
streetcar line, the TECO line, named for the Tampa Electric Company that used
to operate the city's many streetcars. This 2.3 mile line, which will connect
Tampa with the Ybor City entertainment district, is being built and will be
operated solely with private funds. It will have eight replica Birney double-truck
streetcars, plus two Vintage Birney's which are now being restored. The large
fleet will enable the operators to revive an old streetcar motto, "Always a
car in sight."
The TECO line will run seven days a week, from 10 AM to 10 PM, with later
service on weekends. Patronage is projected at 250,000 people per year, which
may prove conservative as significant development is already taking place along
the line. TECO intends to have a transfer arrangement with Tampas HART line
buses.
Perhaps the most successful of all the new integrated streetcar lines is San
Francisco's F line, also known as the Market Street Railway. Years ago, when
San Francisco built a subway under Market Street, it left the streetcar tracks
on the surface in place. In 1983, the Chamber of Commerce used those tracks
for a Historic Trolley Festival, running a number of the city's antique streetcars.
The festival was so popular it was repeated in subsequent years. Then, in 1995,
the old cars began regular service on Market Street, running from the Castro
District downtown to the Financial District near the Ferry Terminal.
In the year 2000, a new line opened, the F line. Also using historic streetcars
(Vintage cars, actual antiques), the F line continues the Market Street line
on new trackage along the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf. the F line was an
immediate huge success, carrying so many people the cars were crowded with standees.
Today, ridership on the F line (a six-mile route, including Market Street) is
19,200 on an average weekday, 10,000 on Saturdays and 9,500 on Sundays. Service
hours are 6:00 AM to 12:30 AM.
The F line's fleet of Vintage streetcars is unique. Now made up of 25 streetcars
in regular service, with 4 more undergoing restoration, it includes car 578-S,
built in 1895 and one of the oldest operable streetcars in the world; Car No.
1, the first streetcar bought by San Francisco's municipally-owned streetcar
system; and streetcars from Oporto, Portugal; Melbourne, Australia; Hiroshima
and Osaka, Japan; Moscow, Russia; and Blackpool, England. The everyday operating
fleet relies on Peter Witt cars (first developed in Cleveland, Ohio) from Milan,
Italy and restored PCC cars. The latter are painted in the color schemes of
cities across America that once ran PCCs on their own streetcar lines.
As a New York Times reporter wrote,
While the F line is fast becoming one
of San Francisco's most popular tourist attractions, it may turn out to be much
more. Day after day, it is reminding visitors of something they may have forgotten:
that trolleys are a good way to get around congested cities. 6
Some of these streetcar lines are part of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs),
which are broad-scale efforts to bring back urban areas which have seen better
days. BIDs are generally non-profit corporations which bring together volunteer
efforts, city government and historic preservation groups to gain resources
and provide direction to local rehabilitation movements. Streetcars are a natural
"fit" with BIDs, because, like other rail transit, streetcars promote economic
development. As Greg Hnedak, one of the planners of Memphis' Main Street Trolley
put it, "Buses are cheaper, but when you put rails down, you have made a permanent
commitment, and developers can see that commitment. Rail lines become development
corridors." 7
As this survey illustrates, streetcar lines that are integrated into the local
transit system are generally more useful and attract greater ridership than
those which stand alone. Streetcars are, after all, real transportation, and
should be treated like other transportation. They perform a real function for
local residents, and should not be seen merely as a tourist attraction (though
they do also attract tourists). This is true whether the streetcar line is actually
owned and operated by the local transit authority, as in San Francisco, or is
a separate entity. Separate need not mean disconnected, and should not. Both
the streetcar operator and the transit system benefit when the two are integrated
as if they were part of a seamless system, at least from the passenger's point
of view.
What Does It Cost?
We will take a detailed look at costs in our three case studies, which
make up the next section of this paper. In general, the answer to the question,
"What does it cost?", is the same answer J.P. Morgan gave when a reporter asked
him, "Mr. Morgan, what is the stock market going to do?" The great financier
replied, "It will fluctuate."
Costs of streetcar lines vary widely, because the characteristics of streetcar
lines vary widely. In fact, it can be difficult to obtain the construction cost
of a streetcar line, because building the line is often part of a larger project
that includes other elements.
San Francisco's new F Line provides a good example. This is a double-track
streetcar line, built to Light Rail standards, which now carries almost 20,000
people per day (all in Vintage cars, we would note). The construction cost was
about $30 million per mile, which is high even for Light Rail. But much of that
money went for visual enhancements that have nothing to do with running streetcars,
including extensive use of granite and marble and even planting palm trees along
the right-of-way. A city that wanted just the streetcar line without thecarmen
Miranda-style décor could build it for substantially less. 8
At the other end of the scale is the excellent and highly innovative two-mile
streetcar line recently opened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The total cost was just
$4 million, or $2 million per mile, including five restored PCC streetcars.
Some other examples include:
Portland, Oregon,
the only line using modern
streetcars. The 4.6 mile loop line was constructed for $12.4 million per mile,
including seven new streetcars, built in the Czech Republic.
Tampa, Florida,
a 2.3 mile line built for $13.7 million per mile including eight Heritage
streetcars. The cars themselves, replicas of 1920's Birney streetcars, cost
$600,000 each (compared to up to $3 million for a modern Light Rail Vehicle).
-
Little Rock, Arkansas,
a 2.1 mile line built for $7.1 million per mile, including three streetcars.
9
San Pedro, California,
a 1.5 mile line that recreates the old Pacific Electric "Red Cars" for $4
million per mile, including three streetcars, one Vintage and two Heritage.
10 The costs of Heritage and Vintage streetcars vary as
much as construction costs of streetcar lines. Heritage streetcars cost
between $200,000 and $800,000, depending on type and features (e.g., air
conditioning). One of the best sources of Vintage streetcars is Milan, Italy,
which is gradually selling off its vast fleet of 1920s-built Peter Witt
cars, a type that was widely used in the U.S. These cars go for $25,000
-$35,000 each, and have been maintained so faithfully that they can go into
service the day they arrive. Other Vintage cars vary greatly in price, depending
largely on condition; some last served as chicken coops.
Since many Vintage and Heritage streetcar lines make use of volunteer labor,
operating costs can be very low. Perhaps the best guide to operating costs for
a major streetcar system that hauls lots of people and uses only paid labor
-- transit company employees -- is our oldfa vorite, New Orleans. An APTA analysis,
using data from the 1996 National Transit Database, compared 20 Light Rail systems'
operating costs, including those of New Orleans streetcar lines (St. Charles
Avenue and the Waterfront line). 11 Operating costs were measured
in four ways, and New Orleans ranked as follows (20th is lowest in operating
cost):
Operating expense per passenger mile: 16th
Operating cost per vehicle mile: 17th
Operating cost per vehicle hour: 18th
Operating cost per passenger trip: 20th
An interesting wrinkle on operating costs comes from Tampa, Florida. There,
the organization that will operate the Heritage streetcars has raised an endowment
of almost $7 million, the interest from which will cover part of the operating
costs.
In closing the discussion of costs -- and stressing again that they vary widely
-- let us offer a minor Philippic. The greatest threat to the future of rail
transit is not Wendell Cox and the restof the anti-transit troubadors. 12
The greatest threat to America's rail renaissance is escalating costs, costs
that go far beyond what is required to offer good service. We know Light Rail
can be built and built well for $20 million per mile, because some systems do
it; the latest extension of Dallas's DART Light Rail system came in at just
over $18 million per mile. St. Louis and Baltimore did it, too. Why, then, do
we see more and more Light Rail systems asking for $40 million, $60 million,
and in one case more than $100 million per mile? The answer, too often, appears
to be overbuilding, gold plating, and the pernicious practice of placating NIMBYs
with tunneling, which should only be used when geographic obstacles make it
unavoidable.
We see signs of the same disease appearing in streetcar lines. Museums build
streetcar lines and operate them for a pittance. So can, and should, public
authorities. San Francisco's F line is a great success, but why should a poor
streetcar be billed for recreating the Taj Mahal?
The authors of this paper both recall vividly an incident all too typical
in overbuilding.whenclevel a nd's fine old Shaker Rapid line was rebuilt, the
cost was more than $100 million, and the result was slower trains running on
less frequent schedules. When someone asked the local U.S. Representative about
the outrage, the reply was, "Why not? It's free money, " meaning Federal funds.
Bah! Humbug! Where's our old friend Mr. Scrooge when the taxpayer needs him?
Currently, the Federal Transit Administration's process for giving new rail
proposals a "recommended" or "not recommended" rating is based too heavily on
ridership forecasts. We strongly suggest it should also include a base line
"should cost" figure of not more than $20 million per mile for Light Rail and
$10 million per mile for streetcars (a similar "should-cost" figure should be
set for urban highway construction). Exceptions should be granted, but only
when circumstances such as the need to tunnel through a mountain or other unavoidable
local conditions clearly justify them.
Some rail advocates may see this as treason. In fact, we are trying to save
rail transit from itself, to prevent Light Rail and streetcars from doing what
Heavy Rail did and pricing themselves out of the market.
And just in case you have forgotten, please remember that we are conservatives.
We believe that the right place for a taxpayer's dollar is in his own pocket,
not the pocket of some fat cat politician or bloated government agency. Off
with their heads!
Having gotten that off our chests, let us now proceed to see what three different
cities, using three quite different approaches, have done to give their citizens
the many benefits of streetcar service.
Three Case Studies
As we have seen in our previous studies in this series, looking in
some detail at specific operations can be useful. Here, we will consider three
different streetcar lines or systems,each with different characteristics. The
first, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA ) in Dallas, Texas, represents
Vintage trolleys run almost entirely with volunteer labor. The second, in Memphis,
Tennessee, is also a Vintage trolley operation, but it is run by the local transit
authority and operated by transit system employees. Memphis also represents
the use of Vintage trolleys as precursors to Light Rail. Finally, we will examine
the new streetcar line in Portland, Oregon, which is operated with modern streetcars.
These three cases cover a sufficiently wide spectrum that any city or town considering
bringing back streetcars will find at least one speaks to its own situation.
Dallas, Texas
The early history of the McKinney Avenue trolley line holds some useful lessons
for anyone interested in bringing back streetcars. It is worth quoting at some
length:
In 1981 a Dallas area along McKinney Avenue, characterized by restaurants
and specialty shops, was being redeveloped. The effort included excavation and
renovation of the brick street paving. Removal of the asphalt revealed a double-track
streetcar line that appeared to be in generally sound condition. A local businessman,
with restaurant interests along this route, decided that trolley service on
that portion of McKinney Avenue would enhance both the ambiance and commercial
success of the redevelopment project. His observation that, "Wouldn't it be
nice to have some old streetcars running down our street?" drew local media
attention. After screening vintage Dallas trolley movies (supplied by a local
VT ( Vintage Trolley) enthusiast), the businessman organized MATA as a nonprofit
corporation -- Section 501(c)( 3) of the Internal Revenue Code -- to build and
operate the line. Two local trolley enthusiasts joined the board to oversee
technical aspects of the project.
The businessman funded a professional feasibility study that supported the
concept. He arranged pro bono public relations and advertising services, conducted
fund-raising events, secured local business funding pledges, achieved city support,
and applied successfully for two UMTA con struction grants. MATA's early initiatives
addressed mainly political hurdles. The businessman headed a small team that
promoted MATA steadily before Dallas' city government for several years. This
major effort finally produced the city's official endorsement and passage, in
the Texas Senate, of a bill that limited the liability of city-contracted private
transport firms to that of the city itself. Once these hurdles were cleared,
MATA began to develop a physical plant. 13
That physical plant consisted of a 2.8 mile streetcar line, four vintage streetcars
and a carbarn. The total cost was $5.5 million, and $3 million of that came
from the private sector; a $2.5 million Federal grant supplied the rest. The
city of Dallas spent about $200,000 for signs, pavement marking and traffic
light relocation. All the antique streetcars were privately donated or funded.
Photo: Van Wilkins
McKinney Avenue Transit Authority Streetcar.
Service began on July 22, 1989, and it continues today. All operating costs
have been privately funded. In its first two years of operation, the McKinney
Avenue streetcar had a daily ridership load factor about double that of the
surrounding bus system. 14 In 1990, the trolley line carried
236,074 passengers and recovered 46% of its costs from the farebox. 15
In 1991, MATA faced a financial crisis that led to its current structure as
an almost all-volunteer operation (it currently has three paid employees). The
fact that the system uses mostly volunteer labor is a principal reason why its
operation requires no public funding. Is it really practical to try to run a
real transit operation with volunteer labor? McKinney Avenue's answer is a resounding
"Yes!" A detailed study of the line, published in 1992, notes:
MATA's time sheets reveal that two-thirds of the operating labor hours are
volunteer. This volunteer group includes the chief of cardiology at a major
hospital, a retired public utility chairman, a bus driver's union president,
educators, business owners, wage earners and college students. Generally they
are reliable, motivated, and professional in demeanor. Their accident rate is
lower that that of MATA's paid employees. MATA's policy assigns each volunteer
to a specific task or project that is defined with specific beginnings and completions.
Once the volunteer is matched with the job, they usually carry out the assignment
with minimal supervision. The volunteer has both the responsibility and the
personal recognition for a job well done. The key to volunteer motivation is
organization, individual responsibility, recognition, and praise. 16
The same study, "McKinney Avenue Transit Authority Experience," by Frank A
Schultz III and John B.McCall (Transportation Research Record 1361), makes a
number of other observations that may be useful to cities or towns considering
a Vintage trolley line:
Is it practical to use actual antique streetcars as opposed to replicas?
The study notes: In retrospect, choice of old cars over replicas was
the correct approach. The traditions of MATA's steel car body designs, one
of which is nearly 90 years old, have proven to be extremely reliable. It
was the attraction of the genuine article that drew the large, skilled volunteer
restorative force that did much of the work on the project. Even if the
labor had been purchased, a restored car would still have been less expensive
than an estimated (in 1992) $450,000 reproduction car. With the volunteer
force, the cost of restoring a double-truck car was approximately $185,000.
Add ition all y, MATA has tied its promotion and marketing to "genuine antique
streetcars." 17
Is it possible to use the old streetcar rails which still lie under the
asphalt on many city streets?
The study says, "MATA experience indicates that revival of abandoned
track in-place can be done at 10 percent of the cost of new track on a new
route." 18 Of course, in some instances the track was
worn out by the time regular streetcar service ended, and replacement rails
will be needed. But even if that is the case, a great deal of the expense
of utility line relocation can be avoided by using old streetcar right-of-ways.
Is there a good book that can guide a town or city in establishing a
streetcar line?
The study reaches back into the past to recommend one: "For a project manager
new to Vintage Trolleys, a most useful reference is the Electric Railway
Handbook by Alberts. Richey, published by McGraw-Hill in 1924. Reprints
of this volume are available from the Association of Railway Museums." 19
Streetcars have now been running on McKinney Avenue for more than a dozen
years. Far from being a mere tourist attraction, the line is in the process
of becoming a formal part of Dallas's rail transit system. In 1996, Dallas's
DART transit system opened its first Light Rail line. The McKinney Avenue streetcar
line is now being extended on each end to a stop on the Light Rail system. Passengers
will be able to transfer easily from Light Rail to streetcar, with the streetcar
performing the function it does best, carrying people to local destinations
within the city.
Still using almost entirely volunteer labor, the McKinney Avenue streetcar
runs seven days a week, twelve hours a day (and later on weekends), 365 days
a year. When the extensions to DART are completed, streetcars will run every
ten minutes during peak demand hours. McKinney Avenue now has four antique streetcars
in service, with four more being rehabilitated. Last year it carried about 50,000
people. It gets not one dollar in taxpayer money for operation. The one-mile
extension on the north end is being built for the remarkably low figure of $3.3
million. 20
If you want to bring the streetcars back to your town or city and don't have
much money to do it with, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority offers a very
good model. You can contact them at (214) 855-0006.
Memphis, Tennessee
Photo: Van Wilkens
A Streetcar in Memphis, Tennessee.
In an effort to reverse urban decline, Memphis decided in the 1970s to create
a downtown pedestrian mall, running about eight-tenths of a mile on Main Street,
which parallels the Mississippi River. By the late 1980s, the mall was failing.
Part of the reason was that it was too long for people to walk. 21
When Memphis decided to redevelop the mall, it realized transit had to be
part of the solution. Buses running down the mall were considered, but rejected
as incompatible with pedestrians. In 1990, the city decided a streetcar line
was the solution, using Vintage streetcars.
The initial line began service in 1993. It was 2.5 miles long, mostly double-tracked.
The streetcars served the mall, but also ran beyond it on both ends to serve
areas that needed economic development. Outside the mall, the streetcars ran
on the street, sharing a lane with automobile traffic. In 1997, the initial
line was converted into a loop by adding a parallel line which ran mostly on
an old railroad track. The addition brought the total system up to a length
of five miles.
All but one of the streetcars are antiques, of two basic designs. Seven cars
are four-wheel Brill streetcars, two built in the U.S. in 1912, the rest built
later in Portugal to the same Brill design. The Brill cars have wooden bodies
and 19 seats. The other seven antique cars (more are being restored) are larger
(52 seats), slightly newer, have metal bodies and came from Melbourne, Australia.
As elsewhere, the antique cars in Memphis have proven reliable in regular service.
Service is provided seven days a week, and the fare is $.60 ($. 30 around
lunchtime). Service begins early on weekdays, at 6 AM, to accommodate people
going to work. It runs late on weekends, to 1 AM and sometimes later, to serve
people who have come downtown for entertainment. Eleven streetcars are operated
in peak travel hours, with a car coming by about every five minutes.
In term of ridership, the streetcars of Memphis have been a big success. In
the first full year of service, 1994, ridership was 468,115; in 1999, it was
922,475, and in the year 2000 it rose to 941,011. Estimated current daily ridership
is 2774 on weekdays and 1704 on weekends. In 1999, the streetcars carried almost
three times more passengers per revenue mile than Memphis 's buses. 22
It may be helpful to other cities and towns that are considering streetcars
to look in more det ail at streetcar riders in Memphis, because it shows what
streetcars can do. A good study of the Memphis streetcar line by Mr. Thomas
Fox, the system's Director of Planning and Capital Projects, notes that:
Monday through Thursday ridership is comprised mainly of downtown workers
and residents who use the system on a regular basis. Friday through Sunday ridership
is more dependent on the activities that occur downtown. Saturday is the highest
ridership day, with 3,887 riders in 1999... Monday through Thursday ridership
is fairly stable but gradually increases as the week progresses, ranging between
2,030 and 2,456 daily patrons. Individual day ridership peaks generally coincide
with major events in the downtown area. For example, during the Memphis in May
Beale Street Music Festival onfrid a y, May 7, through Sunday, May 9, 1999,
the (streetcars) carried 34,479 passengers, with 16,282 riders on Saturday.
Other recurring events that are highly dependent on the trolley system for movement
of large numbers of people are Memphis Redbirds (Triple A) baseball games at
AutoZone Park, concerts and college basketball games at the Pyramid Arena, conventions,
and cultural exhibits at the Cook Convention Center. 23
An on-board survey of streetcar riders in Memphis taken in 1994 found that:
51 percent were riding for transportation-related reasons and 49 percent for
entertainment-related reasons;
17 percent "normally get around Memphis" by public transit;
61 percent had "eaten at restaurants along the trolley line," and 34 percent
had
"shopped at stores along the trolley line;" and
36% had incomes over $50,000; a total of 14 percent had incomes below $20,000.
24
How has the streetcar line helped economic development? The south end of the
line terminates at Central Station, Memphis's historic main railroad station.
There, a redevelopment project includes a multi-modal transit center serving
the streetcars, buses, Amtrak and automobile park-and-ride. The project also
includes 12,000 square feet of commercial space, 63 apartments and a police
station. At the north end, a similar multi-modal transit center also offers
a day care center, a welfare-to-work career center and another police station.
25 Mr. Fox notes:
Ridership (on the streetcars) has grown for a variety of reasons, the most
important of which is the gradual growth and diversification of development
in downtown Memphis. Since 1990, residential population has expanded from
fewer than 1000 to more than 5000 people. Entertainment-type development --
such as AutoZone Park, Peabody Place, Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum, and
numerous restaurants, clubs, and hotels -- has resulted in downtown becoming
more of a destination for nonwork activities. 26
What about costs? The original 2.5 mile line had a total cost, including the
streetcars themselves, of $34,887,072, or a somewhat high $14 million per mile.
However, almost half of this cost -$15,834,000 -- was for improvements to the
pedestrian mall. The second 2.5 mileline, which completed the loop, cost just
$9,428,860, or $3.8 million per mile. Why the big difference? As noted, the
cost of the initial line included extensive repairs to the mall itself, plus
construction of a new operations and maintenance facility and a great deal of
utility relocation. In contrast, the second line used an existing rail line,
including the existing track, for most of its length. 27 Here
as elsewhere, we see that construction costs vary greatly depending upon the
specific characteristics of the streetcar line.
If we look at the sources of the construction funding, we see something else
that may beusef ulto other towns and cities. 69% of the construction cost of
the initial line and 44% of the cost of the second line came from money that
was initially allocated by the Federal government for Interstate highway construction.
When Memphis decided not to build the planned extension of Interstate 40, the
FTA transferred the funds to the streetcar project.
IsTeA and TeA 21 Federal legislation allow a great deal of flexibility in using
highway funds for transit, so other cities may also be able to fund a streetcar
line with money intended for unwanted highways.
Unlike Dallas, Memphis maintains and operates its streetcars with regular
transit authority labor, not volunteers. Still, its operating costs are modest.
In the APTA comparison of twenty Light Rail systems referenced earlier, Memphis's
streetcar operating costs ranked 15th per vehicle mile (20th is lowest), 19th
per vehicle hour, and 11th per passenger trip. Operating cost per passenger
mile was 2nd, but that largely reflects the line's comparatively short length
(most Light Rail lines are much longer). 28
As a streetcar system, Memphis has been quite successful in terms of costs,
ridership and effects on downtown revival. But Memphis has another characteristic
that is of interest: from the outset, the city saw bringing back the streetcars
as a first step toward a modern Light Rail system .
Those plans are now moving toward fruition. Memphis is currently building
a two-mile extension of the streetcar system, and the new line is being built
to Light Rail standards, for eventual use by modern Light Rail vehicles. Running
at right angles to the downtown loop along Madison Avenue, the new line will
connect the downtown with the Medical Center district. Mr. Fox writes:
The project is the last segment of the downtown rail circulation system
as well as the first segment of a regional light rail line. The extension
is being designed to accommodate modern light rail vehicles, but vintage trolleys
will be utilized until a proposed light rail line is implemented and a fleet
of modern vehicles is acquired. The long-range Regional Transit Plan includes
light rail in three corridors by the year 2020. Each recommended corridor
connects to the (streetcar line) and downtown transportation terminals with
the purpose of eventually mixing heritage and modern rail vehicles on Main
Street, the riverfront, and Madison Avenue, and providing intermodal connections
at the terminals. 29
The cost per mile is about $24 million (plus two bridges for $8 million),
but again, this line is built to Light Rail Standards. 30
By starting with streetcars, then moving to Light Rail, Memphis has found
a way around a major obstacle facing cities that want to initiate Light Rail:
nobody locally understands what Light Rail is. Once streetcars are running and
people have experienced them, Light Rail is much easier to explain. The mystery
-- and the fears -- go away. And when Light Rail is built, it has a downtown
circulator already operating with which it can connect.
Compared to Dallas's McKinney Avenue streetcar, the streetcar system in Memphis
offers a somewhat "upscale" alternative, slightly more expensive, but highly
suitable as a precursor to Light Rail. It, too, is a model other cities and
perhaps some towns could do well to emulate -- especially if they have funds
for a highway they no longer want to build.
Portland, Oregon
If Dallas's McKinney Avenue streetcar represents the "low end" for
new American streetcar lines (in cost, not in service quality), the new Portland
Streetcar is the high end.when operations began on July 20, 2001, Portland,
Oregon, became the first American city since World War II to inaugurate streetcar
service with modern equipment.
Photo: Harold Geissenheimer
A Streetcar in Portland, Oregon.
Portland's new streetcar line is a 2.4 mile long downtown loop (4.8 miles
of track) with five modern streetcars built in the Czech Republic. The cars
run from 5: 30 AM to midnight Monday through Thursday and to 1: 30 AM on Friday
and Saturday; through most of the day, service is at 15-minute intervals. By
the end of its first week of service, it was alreadycarr yingabout 7000 people
each day -- almost double what was projected. The line connects many important
downtown venues, from Portland State University on one end to Good Samaritan
Hospital on the other. It also provides local distributor service to Portland's
MAX Light Rail system, and is intended to spur and shape redevelopment of two
major downtown locations, one a former railroad yard.
From the beginning, the Portland Streetcar was a citizen's project, not just
a government program. Starting in 1990, a team of consultants worked with a
Citizens Advisory Committee to plan the streetcar route. The initial alignment
was presented to the public, then changed significantly in response to public
comments and suggestions. Development considerations played a major role in
those changes. One study notes,
Dialogue was beginning with the property owners and other interested parties
about two large parcels of undeveloped land near the central city.those parcelsare
the River District to the north of downtown and North Macadam to the south.
The conversations centered around the benefits to the City and totheproperty
owners of not developing huge amounts of office space. Rather than competing
with the downtown office market, it was proposed to complement the jobs market
with new medium-to high-density housing and to use the streetcar as the appropriate
transit tool to facilitate and support that develop ment. 31
Once the route was chosen, citizen involvement did not end. On the contrary,
a new, non-profit corporation, Portland Streetcar, Inc., was formed to build
and operate the line. The Board of Directors is made up not of politicians but
of leading Portland businessmen, developers, and executives. Only one elected
official, City Commissioner Charlie Hales (a leading proponent of streetcars
for Portland), is a member. By giving private citizens, including developers,
a leading role in the streetcar project, Portland has insured that the community
is united behind the streetcar line instead of being divided by it.
Portland was also careful to draw a distinction between streetcars and Light
Rail. Portland's Light Rail system, MAX, opened in 1986 and has since expanded
with several new lines. MAX is popular and, in terms of ridership, very successful.
But the smaller, more intimate scale of streetcars was emphasized strongly.
A study co-authored by Commissioner Hales states :
A general tenet of the project is, "This is not light rail; it's a streetcar.
"Rather than regional travel, the streetcar is intended to serve short local
trips. The theme of simplicity permeated every aspect of the project, not
only to keep costs low, particularly in its urban setting, but also to ensure
that the streetcar line blended in with the neighborhoods through which it
passes. It employs small sidewalk stops, a simple track structure, an unobtrusive
overhead power supply, and it has required few utility relocations. 32
Another paper sounds the same theme:
Early on, it was decided that Portland Streetcar should be integrated with
every day street life, should respect the human scale of the city and should
minimize disruption to the community during construction. The streetcars use
existing rights-of-way, do not require separation from automobile traffic
and allow on-street parking to remain Construction staging was such that we
worked in 3 block segments. From the day the contractor cut into the street
to the day everything was finished was 3 weeks. 33
Minimizing construction time and disruption is especially important to retail
merchants whose businesses lie along the streetcar route.
Portland 's approach to the streetcars themselves is also instructive. Usually,
when a city needs new rail equipment, it decides what it wants, then finds someone
to build it. Portland realized this approach would be very expensive, because
it only needed seven streetcars (five initially and two later). Wisely, it instead
chose to buy "off the shelf." It found a company that already built streetcars
and took what it had to offer, with a minimum of modifications.
The company was Skoda in the Czech Republic. Skoda is an old and highly respected
firm, and for decades it had built streetcars for service in central and eastern
Europe. Skoda offered Portland a variant of its standard Astra streetcar design.
While MAX's Light Rail Vehicles ae 92 feet long (and usually run as two-car
trains), Skoda's streetcar is just 67 feet long. It has doors on both sides
and can be operated from either end. The car is air-conditioned, the interior
is bright and open, and the middle section has a low floor, making it easy to
get on and off. It can seat thirty people, and has room for 87 standees; for
the short trips that are typical of streetcar travel, many people prefer to
stand (big windows let even standees see out) . As Portland intended, its new
Skoda streetcars fit into neighborhoods rather than dominating them.
Skoda and other eastern European companies, including some in Russia, may
be able tosupply streetcars to other American cities, and do so at reasonable
prices. The seven Skoda streetcars cost Portland $13.4 million, for a price
per car just under $2 million. This is up to a third less than some modern Light
Rail Vehicles cost. At the same time, it is substantially more expensive than
either Vintage or Heritage streetcars. Modernity has its price, as conservatives
know only too well.
Has Portland's streetcar been successful? As of this writing, it has been
in operation less than one year. But in one important way, we can already say
it has succeeded, because it is already a ffecting economic development positively.
A rail transit line's effect on development begins before the trains start
to run. It begins once a firm commitment to build the line is made and the exact
route is decided. At that point, developers know where and when they will have
high quality public transit. They also know that once the line opens, transit
is there to stay. This is a major difference from bus service, and it is the
reason why rail transit has profound effects on development and bus service
does not.
From the outset, the Portland Streetcar was seen as a tool for shaping development.
A study notes that:
The Portland Streetcar Project is part of the City's growth management strategy
City goals call for 15,000 new housing units and 75,000 new jobs in our urban
core. The River District and North Macadam District will be the site of over
half of the new housing units and one-fifth of all the new jobs. We believe
that providing high density housing close to jobs and all of the amenities
available in downtown is a good idea and a good deal. Portland Streetcar will
be the essential transit link connecting people to their jobs, to shopping,
to educational institutions and to the arts and cultural communityÉ At the
south end of the River District, the Brewery Blocks Development is under construction.
This is a major mixed-use developmenton five City blocks that once housed
the Blitz Weinhard Brewery. The developer sees the streetcar project as a
key elemnt in the success of their project .
The Brewery Blocks Development was under construction before streetcar service
began. The day streetcar service started, July 20, 2001, the local newspaper,
The Oregonian, ran a special section devoted to the new streetcar line. It,
too, could already report positive effects on development:
In Northwest Portland, already heavily developed, advertisements are appearing
promoting apartments close to the streetcar lineÉ In the West End, projects
in the late planning stages include the three-block Museum Place, a mixed-use
development near the Portland Art Museum, and the Mosaic condominiums. The condominium
project, next to the Old Church, will have no parking. On Lovejoy Street at
Northwest 11th Avenue, a building called the Streetcar Lofts is nearly completed,
with units selling for $120,000 to $655,000. It will carry a neon sign blaring
the message, "Go By Streetcar". Michael Dale, who moved recently from downtown
to the new Gregory condominiums, loves watching the streetcar pass his window
in a way that he said he could never love looking at a bus. "It seems so attractive
that you just want to ride it," he said. "You want an excuse to get on."
If streetcars can have this much effect on development before they enter service,
it is not reasonable to think they will have even more after service starts.
Not surprisingly, Portland is already planning to extend its new streetcar line.
How much did all this cost? As we noted, Portland represents the high end
of new streetcar lines, and it was not cheap. At the same time, it cost less
than Light Rail, and far less than many urban freeways. Including everything
-- tracks, wires, streetcars and carbarn -- Portland 's initial 4.8 miles of
streetcar lines (for a 2.4 mile loop) cost $56,925,164, for a per-mile construction
cost of just under $12 million. Portland believes the streetcar line's benefits,
especially in terms of downtown development and revitalization, are worth the
cost.
Conclusion
Our three case studies, plus the many other examples of streetcar lines
in operation or under construction across the country, offer a wide variety
of models other cities and towns can emulate. One size does not fit all, but
there is a right size for everyone. Your city or town, too, can do it.
And it should. That is the most important point of this study: regardless
of who you are, how big you are (or how small), or where you are, a streetcar
line (or larger streetcar system) would do you good. It would bring more people
downtown, and people are the lifeblood of a downtown. It would both spur and
channel development. It would make it easy for tourists to get around, without
a car. It would help your town or city recover its own distinctive character,
a character people can identify with and even love.
As conservatives, we find America's past attractive. America in the streetcar
era, from around 1890 to about 1950, was a great place. Many Americans who are
not conservatives know that too. Who has not wished that they could visit (and
ride the streetcars) of their grandmother or great-grandmother's day?
sadly, no one has yet invented a time machine. But people across the country
are doing the next best thing: they are recovering good things from our past
and bringing them to life again in the present. Historic preservation and restoration
of historic buildings is going on everywhere. "Retro automobiles such as the
new Volkswagen Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser are selling well. Gentlemen
are even starting to wear hats again.
Of all the things the past has to offer us, nothing could serve the present
better than streetcars. We have no doubt that, if we could ask them, our ancestors
would tell us so. In fact, we can ask a couple of them what joys the trolley
car brought to their lives. In the early years of the twentieth century, two
newlyweds decided that, for their honeymoon, they would journey from Delaware
to Maine, all by trolley. When they got home again, they wrote a book about
it. Here's what trolley riding was like back then -- when the cars ran through
the countryside as well as in town:
If William Penn founded the Quaker city, God made its suburbs -- a fair countryside
that now passed before us in dissolving views, as our car at quickened speed
plunged on to Willow Grove:
"Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures
As the Land skip round it measures."
We trolleyed past lawns and meadows, stately villas and trim gardens, old
wayside inns and ivy-covered churches lodged under the spreading trees; here
a classic gateway with Ionic peristyle; there an ancient mansion half-hidden
behind high walls of solid masonry; a wide stretch of green fields in the foreground;
a background of woodland; winding country lanes deep in shade; and last but
not least a valley sweeping northward and disclosing in far perspective green
hills with a bluish haze:
" A shady road with a grassy track;
A car that follows free;
A summer's scene at early morn;
A nickel for a fee. 36
Yes, we can go home again -- by streetcar.
Photo:W.S. Lind
A shady road with a grassy track;
A car that follows free.
Appendix I: Getting Started
OK, we've sold you. You want to see a streetcar operating in your city
or town. Perhaps you are a businessman, or a local official, or a citizen activist.
Your first question is likely to be, "How do I get started?"
This short guide to getting started may be helpful. We do not say it is the
only way to go.butit does reflect what people in cities with streetcar lines
have learned in their own successful projects.
Step #1: Find other people with the same interest and desire. You are not
likely to makemuch progress alone, although one person can certainly get the
process started. As that one person, you may find other people who are familiar
with the concept and are quick to sign up.or, you may have to start from scratch,
educating other local citizens about streetcars, explaining what they are and
how they can benefit your city or town. Your goal should be to form an organization
of some sort -- perhaps a 501(c)( 3), so donations are tax-deductible --that
can help design and promote your local streetcar project. This organization
should not plan to go out of business once a local streetcar line is running.
It will continue to have many important roles to play, from promoting the streetcar
line through raising funds for its operation to providing volunteers to maintain
and operate the streetcars.
Step #2: One of the things successful streetcar projects all have in common
is people to fill two key roles: the "champion" and the "spear-carrier." The
"Champion is someone who is a community power "player" -- usually but not always
a political figure -- who will be the pusher and the public voice for the project.
The "spear-carrier" is the man who actually gets the job done by organizing
and directing the project. You need both roles filled from the beginning.
Step #3: Design a streetcar project that can garner widespread local support.
That means thinking not just in terms of fellow streetcar fans, but about building
a coalition. Coalitions are powerful because they bring together people with
a wide variety of interests -- and local political clout. Some people may be
businessmen who know a streetcar line will bring them new customers. Others
may be property owners, builders or developers who see a streetcar line as a
development tool. Environmentalists may want streetcars to reduce automobile
use and resulting air pollution. City activists may see streetcars as a way
to bring new life to downtown. You want to appeal to all these groups, and as
many more as you can identify. Thebroader your coalition, the greater your chance
of realizing your project.
Step #4: When it is time to get specific about the route your streetcar will
take, remember that to be successful, it has to serve a real transportation
function. It should not simply be a "ride" on a streetcar for the fun of it.
Your rule needs to be, "The line must take people where they want to go." Your
streetcar should tie together parking lots, cultural and entertainment venues
, restaurant districts and shopping districts. In short, it should serve the
central business district, and serve it well (remember, Americans don't like
to walk very far). And, it should be tied in with the rest of your city's or
town's public transit system.
While we are strongly in favor of keeping costs down, there is a danger here
you need to be aware of. Sometimes, a very inexpensive right-of-way can be available
that seems to make the project easy, but that does not take people where they
want to go. Don 't use it! Remember, your real "product" is not streetcars but
people riding streetcars. You are not building a model train layout. You are
building a transportation line. If your streetcars fail to carry many people,
your project will not be seen as successful. All those folks in your coalition
who hoped for one effect or another from the streetcar line will be disappointed.
And that means they won't support getting more streetcars -- or even keeping
the initial line in operation .
Of course, whatever route you select for your first streetcar line, you are
almost certain to run into some NIMBYs. When you do, remember that most of these
people don't know what a streetcar is or what it does. They will think it is
noisy, or as big as a freight train, or that the overhead wires are dangerous,
or that the streetcar will bring undesirable people into their
neighborhood. None of these things are true, but they won't know that. It is
up to you toshow them what streetcars are really like and what they do. You
may even want to take their leaders to a city that has streetcars and let them
see for themselves. If you try to ignore them or run roughshod over them in
the political process, you will probably fail.
Step #5: Keep it simple! With streetcars as with most things, simplicity is
a virtue. Simplicty keeps down costs. Simplicity makes the project easy for
ordinary people to understand and support. Simplicity ensures that once it is
built, the line looks good instead of being visually intrusive. In fact, one
of the best things about streetcars is that, by nature, they are simple -- unless
you muck it up. Most often, if it is mucked up so that your streetcar line becomes
expensive and complicated, it means you have a bad advisor (there are lots of
bad advisors out there). There is no shortage of the species, and you can find
another one easily. If you are smart, before you hire an advisor, you will make
sure that in other projects, he did keep it simple.
Step #6: Before you acquire your first Vintage streetcar or lay your first
rail, you should have a plan not just for building your streetcar line, but
for operating it well into the future. Here, the hard part is developing a credible
funding plan. Getting money to build a streetcar line is one thing; lining up
operating funds is very different. Most of the government money youma y find
for building the line is not available for operating costs. Operating funds
will almost certainly have to be local money, and you will need credible, long-term
commitments. Remem ber, it will probably take time for ridership to build and
businesses to benefit from the new line. Enthusiasm alone is not enough; you
need legally binding commitments, on paper.
Step #7: You also need a solid plan for recruiting, employing and retaining
volunteers. A sour study has made clear, volunteer labor can be a great asset
to a streetcar line. But employing volunteers is not as easy as it sounds. People
who say, "Yea, sure, I'll volunteer, " don 't necessarily show up, or keep showing
up, when and where they are needed. Often, the most important work is hard,
dirty or boring. As with operating funds, you need a credible plan, based on
experience elsewhere, that will carry you beyond construction and into years
of operations. Places like McKinney Avenue and good streetcar and train museums
can help. Talk to them.
In fact, in everything, from the first day you decide to try to get streetcars
running in your city or town, talk to people who have already done it successfully.
Their successes (and their mistakes along the way) are almost certainly your
best guide. Don't reinvent the (trolley) wheel. As Bismarck said, "Only a fool
learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others."
And not just from others' mistakes, but also from what they did right. Enough
streetcar lines are operating now to build a base of experience. Learn from
it. Appendix III suggests a few places to start looking for it.
Appendix II: The Gomaco Trolley Company
Where does one go, in the early years of the 21st century, to buy a
Heritage streetcar? In the early 20th century, builders abounded: Jewett, Niles,
Kuhlmann, Brill and many more. Fortunately, while those great companies are
gone, streetcars are still made in America, by the Gomaco Trolley Company in
Ida Grove, Iowa.
Photo: Gomaco Trolley Company
A Gomaco Trolley built for Tampa, Florida
Gomaco, a long-established builder of heavy equipment, got into the business
of manufacturing Heritage streetcars in 1982. The Department of the Interior
had decided to create an urban park in America's first manufacturing city,
Lowell, Massachusetts. It wanted historically accurate streetcars to provide
historically accurate local transportation. Gomaco built two, open-sided streetcars
for Lowell, both replicas of Brill cars of 1902 that ran in Massachusetts. It
later built a third closed car for Lowell, a replica of a 1912 streetcar.
Since that initial order for Lowell, Gomaco has built replica streetcars for
Portland, Oregon and Tampa, Florida. It has also reconditioned Vintage streetcars
from Melbourne, Austraia and Milan, Italy; it currently has some of the latter,
built to the famous Peter Witt design, for sae.
Gomaco has earned a deserved reputation for historical accuracy and high quality
craftsmanship. The company says, Our craftsmanship matches the precision and
quality of yesterday and incorporates the engineering technology of today. The
goal is to keep the trolley cars as authentic as possible and to match the quality
workmanship that went into the trolleys of the past... Gomaco Trolley Company
builds brass parts to meet all standard trolley requirements. If you are in
need of a special part, Gomaco will make a die and build exactly what you need.
Exact replicas (of streetcars) can be built based on trolley photos. 37
In other words, if you want your city or town to have once again the same
kind of streetcars that ran there in the past, all you need is some photographs
of those cars. Gomaco will build new streetcars just like the old ones.
Gomaco is now the only commercial source for Heritage streetcars (New Orleans
builds its own), and it is a good place to start your search. Mr. John Kallin
is Gomaco's sales manager, and you may write to him at the
Gomaco Trolley Company,
119e. Highway 175,
P.O. Box 151,
Ida Grove, Iowa, 51445
or call (712) 364-3347.
Gomaco has a web site at www.gomacotrolley.com.
A directory and Internet links for other rail car manufacturers, including any
companies that began making Heritage streetcars after publication of this report,
can be found on the American Public Transportation Association web site at www.apta.com
under the heading "Vehicles
and System Technology Web Sites."
Appendix III: Resources
Beyond this study, there are a number of other useful places to go
for information on streetcars. The American Public Transportation Association
(APTA), the underwriter of this study, has established a Heritage Trolley Task
Force. The task force is in turn hosted by America's oldest streetcar museum,
the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. APTA's Heritage Trolley
Task Force has a web site, which you can locate atwww. her ita get rol ley.org.
You may contact its Chairman, Mr. Jim Graebner (who is also a consultant on
streetcars, and a good one), at (303) 628-5510. And you may reach the SeashoreTrolley
Museum at (207) 967-2712.
Streetcar museums are often an excellent source of expertise. While museum
operations differ somewhat from the operation of a regular streetcar line, museums
have the great virtue of knowing how to do things cheaply (because they usually
don't have very much money). They can also be helpful in locating (and sometimes
providing) Vintage streetcars that used to run in your city, or models or plans
from which new streetcars can be built to the old designs. Often, they are also
sources for volunteers. Most states have at least one streetcar museum. A good
guide to the streetcar museums of North America is Veteran & Vintage Transit
by Andrew D. Young (Archway Publishing, St. Louis, MO, 1997).
Notes
1. "History Repeats Itself," by Williamd. Middleton,
Railway A ge, May, 2001, p. 45
2. Smithsonian, February, 1993, taken from "Other Voices
and Links," Cincinnati Street Railway web site at http://isoservices.com/CSR-Org/voices.htm
3. ibid.
4. This table was inspired by a similar one in Transportation
Research Record No. 1361, Light Rail Transit, "Vintage Trolleys: A National
Overview" bys. David Phraner ( Transportation Research Board, National Academy
Press, Washington, D.C., 1992) Table 4 on p. 326
5. Middleton, op. cit., p. 47
6. "New Life for Old Trolleys," by Frankj. Prila, New York
Ti mes, December 9, 2001
7. Mass Transit, May/June 1993, taken from "Other Voices and
Links," Cincinnati Street Railway web site at http://isoservices.com/CSR-Org/voices.htm
8. " Vintage Trolleys on San Francisco's F Line: A West Coast
Perspective," by Paul M Weyrich and William S. Lind, The New New Electric Railway
Journal, on Free Congress Foundation web site at http://www.freecongress.org/fcf/,
March 2000
9. Above figures from Middleton, op. cit., 46-52
10. Vintage Trolley web site at http://www.railwaypreservation.com/vintagetrolley/vintagetrolley.htm,
April 6, 2001
11. Calculated by APTA from 1996 National Transit Database
data, December 17, 1998
12. For a refutation of Cox and company, see Twelve Anti-Transit
Myths: A Conservative Crtique by Paul M.Weyrich and Williams. Lind, Free Congress
Foundation, Washington, D.C., 2001
13. "McKinney Avenue Transit Authority Experience," by Frank
A. Schultz III and John B.McCall, Transportation Research Record No. 1361, Light
Rail Transit (Transportation Research Board, National Academy Press, Washington,
D.C., 1992) p. 349
14. ibid., p. 350
15. ibid., p. 351
16. ibid., p. 352
17. ibid., p. 350
18. ibid., p. 354
19. ibid., p. 354
20. Information from MATA, February 5, 2002.
21. Memphis Trolley System: Transportation Link and Development
Tool, by Thomas D. Fox, paper presented at the 8th Joint Conference on Light
Rail Transit, Nov. 11-15, 2000, Dallas, Texas, p. 2
22. ibid., p. 6
23. ibid., p. 8
24. ibid., p. 8
25. ibid., p. 2
26. ibid., p. 6
27. ibid., p. 5 and 6
28. op. cit., APTA memo, attachment 4
29. op. cit., Fox, p. 10
30. Information provided to authors by MATA
31. Portland Streetcar Project Elements, March, 2001, unpublished
paper, p. 1
32. Portland Central City Streetcar Line, by Charles Hales
and Thomasb. Furmaniak, paper presented to the 8th Joint Conference on Light
Rail Transit, Nov. 11-15, 2000, Dallas, Texas, p. 1
33. op. cit., Portland Streetcar Project Elements, p. 2
34. Portland Streetcar Project, City of Portland Office of
Transportation, March, 2001, p. 2-3
35. "Back on Track," special section in The Oregonian, article
"Streetcar of Dreams" by Gordon Oliver, July 20, 2001, p. 4
36. A Trolley Honeymoon from Delaware to Maine, by Clinton
W. Lucas (The M.W. Hazen Company, New York, (no date)) pp. 21-22, 60
37. Material from Gomaco Trolley Company web site at www.gomacotrolley.com,
April 5, 2001
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