Detroit Downtown Trolley | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Owner | Detroit Department of Transportation |
Area served | Downtown Detroit |
Locale | Detroit, Michigan United States |
Transit type | Heritage Streetcar |
Operation | |
Began operation | September 20, 1976 |
Ended operation | June 21, 2003 |
Operator(s) | Detroit Department of Transportation |
Character | Pedestrian mall, sidewalk right-of-way |
Number of vehicles | 9 |
Technical | |
System length | 1 mi (1.6 km) |
Track gauge | 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) |
Electrification | Overhead trolley wire |
The Detroit Downtown Trolley, also known as the Washington Boulevard Trolley and Detroit Citizens Railway, was a heritage trolley line in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. The narrow-gauge system opened September 20, 1976, as a United States Bicentennial project, and was closed on June 21, 2003. The line was operated and maintained by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Built as part of a project to revitalize Washington Boulevard, the 0.75-mile (1.21 km) line initially connected Grand Circus Park at the north and Cobo Center near the Detroit Riverfront. Five blocks of Washington Boulevard were reconstructed as a pedestrian mall hosting the streetcar, with a passing track located at State Street. Near Congress Street, the line swapped to the west side of Washington Boulevard until terminating at Jefferson Avenue outside the Cobo Center. Opening celebrations hosted by city leaders and auto executives were held at the north end of the line during the afternoon of September 20, 1976. The streetcar was free the inaugural week, after which a fare of $0.25 (equivalent to $1.29 in 2022 [1] ) was charged, covering the entire nine-block trip. [2] Frequency was every 10 minutes along the line. [3]
By 1979 the line was carrying 75,000 riders annually. In 1980 the line was extended 0.25 miles (0.40 km) east along Jefferson Avenue paralleling Hart Plaza to the Renaissance Center at Randolph street, adjacent to Mariners' Church and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel. The entire system had cost $2.72 million (equivalent to $8.89 million in 2022 [4] ); the original segment costing $1.5 million (equivalent to $4.9 million in 2022 [4] ), including the $422,000 carhouse (equivalent to $1.38 million in 2022 [4] ). Investment came from federal, state, and city sources. [5]
The system saw a fare increase to $0.50. In 1997 the line only carried 3,350 riders, attributed to the popularity of the Detroit People Mover's siphoning ridership after its opening in 1987. Despite the decline, local attitudes towards the system were generally positive, with a rehabilitation effort underway since 1996. [3] By February 2001 only one car was in operation, operating every hour and resulting in intermittent suspensions. Track quality had deteriorated and the service was costing DDOT $300,000 a year to operate (equivalent to $475,870 in 2022 [4] ). On January 15, 2003, two cars were shipped to Seattle for rehabilitation, with a third shipped later. However, in late June the line would indefinitely shut down. DDOT had decided to use a $20 million dollar grant (equivalent to $30.6 million in 2022 [4] ) to rebuild Washington Boulevard for car traffic ahead of the 2006 Super Bowl. [5] [6] [7]
Stops were located approximately every block, with multiple stops serving Cobo Center and Hart Plaza. The trolley connected with the People Mover at Grand Circus Park station and Renaissance Center station. [8]
In September 2001 the southern terminal was shortened to Woodward Avenue to accommodate a dedicated right-turn lane for the tunnel to Canada. In March 2002 one station became accessible with the construction of a ramp at Griswold Street and Hart Plaza. One of the vehicles sent for rehabilitation, car #247, was to have rebuilt bench seating that folded out of the way of wheelchairs. [5]
The system originally intended to use standard gauge, but built to 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) gauge to take advantage of seven available Lisbon trams. Two more trolleys were later acquired, one from Vevey, Switzerland and a double-decker tram from Burton upon Trent, England. Trolleys were operated by DDOT employees, typically with a motorman and conductor. [9] [3]
The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system in the world in the 1920s. Organized around the city centers of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, it connected cities in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and Riverside County.
The TECO Line Streetcar is a heritage streetcar transit line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority (HART), owned by the city of Tampa, and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. It connects Downtown and Channelside to the historic Ybor City district. There is also an "In-Town" trolley-replica bus system that connects Downtown, Channelside, and Harbour Island.
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of the MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems. There is one downtown station which is a universal transfer point on the system, and 13 other stations that provide transfers to a second line.
The San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy) was a mass transit system in Southern California, United States, using 600 volt DC streetcars and buses.
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent local services which complemented the Pacific Electric "Red Car" system's largely commuter-based interurban routes. The company carried many more passengers than the Red Cars, which served a larger and sparser area of Los Angeles.
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) is the primary public transportation operator serving Detroit, Michigan. In existence since 1922, DDOT is a division of the city government, headed by a director appointed by the mayor. Primarily serving Detroit and its enclaves, DDOT is supplemented by suburban service from the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART). In 2022, the system had a ridership of 9,425,700, or about 37,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
The Pittsburgh Light Rail is a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and surrounding suburbs. It operates as a deep-level subway in Downtown Pittsburgh, but runs mostly at-grade in the suburbs south of the city. The system is largely linear in a north-south direction, with one terminus near Pittsburgh's central business district and two termini in the South Hills. The system is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit. The T is one of the surviving first-generation streetcar systems in North America, with the oldest portions of the network dating back to 1903 and the Pittsburgh Railways. It is also one of only three light rail systems in the United States that continues to use the broad 5 ft 2+1⁄2 in Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge on its lines instead of the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 2,429,500.
The Issaquah Valley Trolley (IVT) was a heritage streetcar line in Issaquah, Washington, United States. It was a project of the Issaquah History Museums. The IVT operated from the Issaquah Depot Museum building located at 78 First Ave, NE. The service operated on a trial basis in 2001–02 and then on a regular basis, seasonally, from 2012 to 2020.
Streetcars or trolley(car)s were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of North American cities and towns. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in the mid-20th century or converted to other modes of operation, such as light rail. Today, only Toronto still operates a streetcar network essentially unchanged in layout and mode of operation.
The Washington Railway and Electric Company (WRECo) was the larger of the two major streetcar companies in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland suburbs in the early decades of the 20th century.
Light rail is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and are capable of operating in mixed traffic or on routes that are not entirely grade-separated. Systems typically take one of four forms: the "first-generation" legacy systems, the "second-generation" modern light rail systems, streetcars, and hybrid rail systems. All of the systems use similar technologies, and some systems blur the lines between the different forms.
The DC Streetcar is a surface streetcar network in Washington, D.C. As of 2017, it consists of only one line: a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) segment running in mixed traffic along H Street and Benning Road in the city's Northeast quadrant.
Grand Circus Park station is a public transit station in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that services both the Detroit People Mover and the QLine. The station takes its name from the adjacent Grand Circus Park. It is also the terminus of the D2A2 commuter bus to Ann Arbor, and serves as a transfer point to SMART's FAST Michigan and Woodward express bus lines.
The Gomaco Trolley Company is a manufacturer of vintage-style streetcars, located in Ida Grove, Iowa, United States. The company has supplied replica-vintage streetcars to several transit systems in the US, and has also restored and rebuilt authentic vintage streetcars for some systems.
The Westgate Line was a suburban route operated by the Pacific Electric Railway from 1911 to 1940. This line was one of four lines connecting Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica that did not run through Hollywood. The line is notable for taking a circuitous route towards its end, along San Vicente Boulevard, mainly because it was built to encourage construction of new homes near Pacific Palisades.
The QLine, originally known as M-1 Rail by its developers, is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened on May 12, 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodward Avenue (M-1) for its entire route. The system is operated by M-1 Rail, a nonprofit organization.
Transportation in metropolitan Detroit comprises an expansive system of roadways, multiple public transit systems, a major international airport, freight railroads, and ports. Located on the Detroit River along the Great Lakes Waterway, Detroit is a significant city in international trade, with two land crossings to Canada. Three primary Interstate highways serve the region.
The Silver Line is a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) heritage streetcar line operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. It currently operates the "downtown loop"; a circle of tracks around Downtown San Diego, and is operated using renovated historic vehicles. The line is one of four lines in the Trolley system, sharing tracks of the other lines; the other three lines are the Blue, Orange, and Green lines.
The H Street/Benning Road Line is a currently operating line of DC Streetcar. It has eight stations and began operation on February 27, 2016. The 2.4-mile (3.9 km) line runs along H Street NE and Benning Road NE in Washington, D.C. In September 2016 service was increased from six days a week to seven, and with shorter 12-minute headways.
The Geary Subway is a proposed rail tunnel underneath Geary Boulevard in San Francisco, California. Several plans have been put forward as early as the 1930s to add a grade separated route along the corridor for transit. San Francisco Municipal Railway bus routes on the street served 52,900 daily riders in 2019, the most of any corridor in the city.