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.
