Trolley
service began running Dec. 6 on Canal Street for the first time in 35 years –
but it’s only a shadow of what Regional Transit Authority officials are
planning. The line covers just six blocks using the new connection between the
St. Charles and Riverfront lines, but it’s the first step in long-planned
restoration of 4.1 miles from the foot of Canal Street to the cemeteries. That
$153 million project has been stalled by lack of $25 million in local matching
funds. “We remain optimistic that ultimately this will get done,” RTA Board
Chairman Robert Tucker told the Times-Picayune. “But the reality of the
situation is we still must resolve the issue of the local match.” A decision
could come from a lawsuit due for trial on Jan. 6 in which the RTA seeks to
collect a one percent sales tax on hotels and motels. The levy is opposed by
the hospitality industry on grounds that it will dampen tourism and that it’s
illegal, based on a 1985 tax law that the hotels contend provides them with an
exemption. The RTA insists there is no exemption and that the $6 million in
annual tax revenue is the best source of local matching funds for the Canal
project and other LRT proposals. Meanwhile, the Canal Street stub operates
daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a loop between the foot of Canal Street and
Baronne Street. The fare is only 25 cents and the rolling stock is a newly
built, near-replica of the historic Perley Thomas cars used on St. Charles but
with air conditioning and handicapped access. Initially proposed as a 90-day
demonstration, RTA officials now plan to ask City Council for permission to
continue running the service indefinitely.
