Rock Hill, SC — Trolley Proposal
Rail Transit Online, December 2005
City officials are counting on a
$400,000 federal grant to begin detailed planning of a streetcar line that
would eventually connect downtown Rock Hill with Winthrop University and
Piedmont Medical Center. The trolley would be part of the Textile Corridor
redevelopment project and may run initially between the abandoned Rock Hill
Cotton Factory, near Dave Lyle Boulevard, and Cherry Road utilizing Norfolk
Southern Railway right-of-way. The city and NS have already reached an
agreement for the use of the ROW, although a separate track would be needed
for streetcars. The first segment would probably cost $10 million or less,
a price city officials believe is affordable. Consultants had earlier
proposed a line all the way from the medical center through downtown to
Cherry Road that would have cost more than $50 million. Rock Hill may use
nearby Charlotte’s historic streetcar operation as a model and may borrow a
replica Birney car for a static display to demonstrate the concept to
residents. |
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