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 closely with 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.
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