Glendale — Trolley Proposal

Rail Transit Online, September 2004

The city council on Aug. 31 was scheduled to approve issuing a Request For Proposals on a feasibility study for a downtown streetcar loop.  City officials believe a circulator is needed to carry shoppers and pedestrians through the busy area.  “We need to have a trolley system that moves within the downtown area to make the connection,” Mayor Bob Yousefian told the News-Press.  “Then, if people want to get around, they just use the trolley system.”  Still to be determined is a route, station locations, whether to use modern or heritage trolleys and the cost, although Yousefian has estimated the price tag at about $3 million per mile.  As for the route, there has been general agreement among city officials and the business community that Brand Boulevard must be included, providing a connection between the south end retail district and a residential neighborhood on the north.  Glendale, L.A. County’s third largest city, is located approximately 10 mi. (16 km) north of downtown Los Angeles on the eastern side of the San Fernando Valley.  It has been considering a streetcar system for a decade and even included the concept in a 1996 downtown strategic plan.  City officials expect the feasibility study to be completed by next summer but revenue service could be up to 10 years away.