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District of Columbia streetcar line to begin test runs
Brings back memories of the “old days” when I would take the street car from Georgetown out Conn. Ave. to hitch-hike back to college in E’berg, MD.
Will the new cars get their power from a third rail embedded in the street?
Ah yes… I remember it well. The DC streetcar system, that is. It was a very good way to get around the city. About 6 decades ago.
Ditto Minneapolis and a few other places.
Nice to see them reinventing the (steel) wheel.
It’s about time that cities are finding out that streetcar systems are viable and that busses just don’t get it on heavily traveled routes.
Like the recently opened Tucson streetcar, the DC streetcar will serve Amtrak. The first segment of DC streetcar has its southern terminus at Washington Union Station. Upcoming streetcar projects in Seattle, Kansas City, Dallas and Oklahoma City will also serve Amtrak stations.
Hall Moore Jr said : “Brings back memories of the “old days” when I would take the street car from Georgetown out Conn. Ave. to hitch-hike back to college in E’berg, MD.”
John Laszek says: I assume you refer to Mt. St. Mary’s College (now University) in Emmitsburg. Because MD has at least one other “E’burg”: Eldersburg in fast-growing southeastern Carroll County.
Former Glen Echo trolley line could become a walking and biking trail from Palisades to Georgetown.
Former Glen Echo trolley line could become a walking and biking trail from Palisades to Georgetown. Now is Palisades Neighborhood Trail.
The old street cars should never have been stopped. But what do I know. Wish they would do that here in Richmond. But no, more busses that are not useful to anyone.
The original DC street car lines were shut down just several months after they had put a section of it underground. Estimates back then were about 58 million to underground much of the street running. Instead Congress decided that traffic jams in DC were being caused by street cars being in the way so even though it was well maintained and fully functional the US Congress had it shut down and abandoned. Three years later they decided they needed a public transportation system and spent billions to build the current system. The funny thing is they bypassed several sections of the DC area to save money. One of the biggest complaints is the Georgetown section which was served by the Glen Echo trolleys was completly abandoned. Now the push is on to build a new subway route through Georgetown which will again cost billions.
A map and a picture of the new equipment would have been od interest. Is the power to be delivered via overhead wire or will it be underground as the previous system used?