New Orleans — Canal Streetcars Restored

Rail Transit Online, May 2004  

More than 150 transit aficionados, history buffs and weekend night owls were on hand shortly after 3 a.m. on Apr. 18 when the first revenue service streetcar in 40 years rolled down Canal Street.  Rail enthusiast Alan Drake volunteered to distribute numbers at Salcedo Street, the first stop, to bring order to the scene and prevent a stampede when the car to the City Park Avenue terminal arrived.  But the operator ignored the line and pulled up into the middle of crowd, allowing one of his relatives to be the first person on board.  The car quickly filled with passengers, including some who had been on the last streetcar on Canal Street in 1964.  The service is operated with a fleet of newly-built cars resembling the original Perley-Thomas streetcars that run on the St. Charles line.  An estimated 30,000 riders boarded during the first day of service, with 125,000 recorded during the first week.  However, a number of problems have caused unexpectedly slow operation, including heavy ridership, motorists blocking intersections, temperamental fareboxes that won’t accept worn dollar bills and operators that are still not totally familiar with the streetcars.  The restored route totals 5.5 mi. (8.85 km), including a nearly one-mile (1.6 km) branch along North Carrollton Avenue to Beauregard Circle.  A formal dedication ceremony for the new line is scheduled to take place during the Memorial Day weekend because it was on May 31, 1964 that the last streetcar ran on Canal Street.