Memphis — Purchase of Streetcar Approved
January 2016
The Commercial Appeal reported that the Memphis Area Transit Authority received City Council approval Tuesday to buy a restored, historic trolley for $950,000, and is working to rehabilitate several others.
MATA General Manager Ron Garrison said the agency should receive the car at the end of February then will have run extensive tests before it's ready to carry passengers. Garrison said it's uncertain when trolleys will run through the city center again, but he's hoping by the end of 2016.
The rebuilt heritage trolley is being sourced from the Gomaco Trolley Co. of Ida Grove, Iowa, and should last 25 years or more. Meanwhile, MATA could rebuild about 12 to 14 of its existing trolleys at a cost of $500,000 to $700,000 depending upon their condition.
It will take a while to get all of the cars back in service. "Because we don't have unlimited funds," Garrison said. "So finding the right balance and doing a cost analysis for vehicles will determine how many of them we purchase and how many of them we rebuild." |