Charlottesville — No Money for Streetcar Study

Rail Transit Online, June 2008

The city council has made a preliminary decision not to fund a study for a three-mile (4.8 km) streetcar line from the Downtown Transit Station to the Barracks Road Shopping Center. The analysis would cost $200,000 to $300,000, but the line itself could have a $70-million price tag.

Proponents say the streetcar would act as a local circulator and could reduce traffic congestion while encouraging development along the West Main Street corridor. But skeptics believe that finding the local share of the capital cost could be almost impossible and therefore carrying out the study would squander scarce resources.

"To me the issue is how much is it worth to invest in something we may not be able to afford and there may not be a funding stream for," Councilor David Brown told The Daily Progress. Other council members called for a public-private partnership to finance the project. The council is expected to make a final decision on the study after a more thorough debate in July or August.