The nonprofit Charles Street Development Corp. will pay consultant
Kittelson & Associates $60,000 to conduct a feasibility study into the
restoration of streetcars in downtown Baltimore. The line, linking Federal
Hill via Charles Street with Charles Village near the Johns Hopkins
University campus, would be aimed at luring tourists north from the Inner
Harbor. Development Corporation Executive Director Rebecca Gagalis said
both steel-wheel and rubber-tire technology would be analyzed. “What we'd
want it to do is serve the Charles Street corridor with an attractive, fun
means of transportation that would solidify the growth of Charles Street as
an arts, cultural and shopping district,” Gagalis told The Daily Record.
“We'd like it to serve as a revitalization tool, particularly on the vacant
surface lots along the corridor.” RTOL Senior Editor Van Wilkins points out
that a trolley may be difficult to justify because there are currently few
tourist attractions along Charles. In addition, the street is one-way
north, and installing a two-way rail line could disrupt traffic and
eliminate one lane for use by motor vehicles. Streetcars last ran on
Charles Street in the late 1950s.
