New Orleans — First Rebuilt Streetcar Returns

Rail Transit Online, November 2008

The 24 replica heritage streetcars built for the restored Canal Street line but wrecked by Hurricane Katrina are beginning to return to service after major refurbishment. The cars were built by New Orleans Regional Transit Authority employees at the Carrollton Station maintenance facility and were in operation only a short time when Katrina devastated the city three years ago.

When the storm hit, they were stored at NORTA's A. Philip Randolph Operations Facility which was inundated with brackish water infused with gasoline and diesel fuel, soaking the cars up to windshield height.

Authority staff is also handling the rebuilding effort, with NORTA spending approximately $1 million per car. The agency expects to have nine vehicles in revenue service by the end of December and all 24 restored by the end of 2009.