Streetcars making a comeback in US

Portland started trend

Steve Hawley, May 05, 09.

Streetcars, which were almost eliminated in the United States around 1960 in favor of buses, are making a comeback, according to The Infrastructurist.

Some cities, such as San Francisco and New Orleans, preserved historic streetcar lines, but the article notes:

Until recently, though, there has been little interest in the United States in building new street-running train networks, with communities more likely to focus on faster — but more expensive — light rail transit systems, which operate in their own rights-of-way.

In 2001, Portland completed the first modern streetcar line, which has been wildly successful. So far, the line has generated $3.5 billion in new construction, 10,000 new residential units, and over five million square feet of new offices and hotels. Officials from all across the nation are using Portland as an example and planning streetcar systems of their own.

The Infrastructurist post includes a map of 33 cities that have current or proposed streetcar systems, including cities as diverse as Tucson, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Detroit.

(Photo credit: cacophony)