2010 [survey of streetcar cities]

Issaquah Valley Trolley (IVT) is a working committee of the Issaquah Historical Society (IHS), a 501c3 non-profit, which is the lead sponsor for this project. IVT has a 15-year use agreement to operate the City-owned track. They have updated the Business Implementation Plan and have secured around $500,000.00 in grants. The City of Issaquah is the Certified Agent overseeing the disbursement of funds. The City is also in charge of overseeing the track rehabilitation and bidding process for both the track work and the car rehabilitation work to get car 519, the first of the narrow-gauge Lisbon vehicles, rebuilt to the standard gauge. They hope to have car 519 in service later in 2011 and will use the motor-generator car for power. Line upgrades will include rebuilt track and the bridge over Issaquah Creek, signalization, as well as several station/waiting areas. Trolley stops will be located and added as needed.

Community Transit (CT) provides service to Snohomish County with limited service to Everett. CT plans to conduct a streetcar feasibility study in partnership with City of Lynwood, a member jurisdiction south of Everett and north of Seattle. It would be a rail project, and CT is in the process of drafting a consultant scope of work for a feasibility study to define the study area, alignment options, cost estimates, economic impacts, etc. One of the study tasks is identification of funding sources; Small Starts is a possibility that will be considered. Community Transit will be the lead sponsor, with the City of Lynnwood anticipated to be a partner. There is not a streetcar currently operating in Snohomish County.

The City of Seattle developed a modern streetcar line that serves the South Lake Union, Denny Triangle, and Downtown Retail Core neighborhoods. The streetcar provides local transit service, connects to the regional transit system, supports economic development, and contributes to neighborhood vitality. The $53 million started operations in December 2007. The South Lake Union line has exceeded initial ridership forecasts, serving one million riders in its first two years of operation. The project has been successful as a catalyst for private investment in South Lake Union, with over $2.5 billion invested since the project was approved for construction in 2005.In November 2008, voters in the Puget Sound area approved “ST2,” the mass transit expansion plan for our region. This measure builds on the Sound Move plan approved in 1996 to expand light rail, commuter rail and express bus service in our region. The ST2 Plan includes funding for the First Hill Streetcar connector project, which links First Hill employment centers to the light rail system via connections on Capitol Hill and in the International District. This is an important link in the regional transit system, providing an alternative to the originally proposed deep tunnel light rail station on First Hill. The First Hill Streetcar will also connect diverse and vibrant neighborhoods on Capitol Hill, First Hill, and in the Chinatown/International District, while serving medical centers (Harborview, Swedish, and Virginia Mason) and higher education (Seattle Central Community College and Seattle University). The First Hill Streetcar line is expected to open for revenue service in Fall 2013.

The Spokane Transit Authority and the City of Spokane are conducting an Alternatives Analysis for modes and alignments for a Central City Circulator. A streetcar is one of the mode alternatives. Other major stakeholders include the Downtown Spokane Partnership, the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, Washington State University and AVISTA. CH2M HILL is the prime consultant.

 Updated 10/14/2010

 In other news, in 2009 Sound Transit broke ground on University Link, which will extend light rail 3.1 miles from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington, building on the 15.6-mile light rail system that started service in 2009 between downtown Seattle and the airport.

Streetcar Expansion Project: This project is designed to enhance our current streetcar system operating in downtown Kenosha since June of 2000. The current streetcar line provides service on an alignment that serves the downtown area, the new Harbor Park development area (a brownfield development site on Lake Michigan), the government complex, museums, and the Metra Commuter Rail Station (service on the North Line to Chicago). It is approximately 1.9 miles of revenue rail and approximately .1 miles of track in the yard. Historic PC cars are used that were originally operated in Toronto, Canada. Total investment for the original system was approximately $5.2 million.

The expansion of the system is designed to provide enhanced service to the downtown area as well as a new streetcar line to the uptown area. It will serve a new brownfield development area as well as provide service between the downtown area along Lake Michigan and our uptown area approximately 24 blocks from the lake. The anticipated budget for this project is approximately $23.8 million and will provide approximately 4 miles of new track to our system. The State of Wisconsin has approved approximately 4 million dollars in Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to help start this project. Another grant for additional CMAQ funds is pending and would provide enough funds to begin design and then construction in the downtown area by 2011. We will be seeking additional federal funding and the project could be completed by 2013.

The primary sponsor of the project is the City of Kenosha. We have seen approximately $150 million in new development activity around our original streetcar system and view the development potential as a primary motivating factor in the expansion. Additionally, marginal operating costs per vehicle mile of our streetcar system is cost competitive with our bus system and it operates on domestically produced electric power, thus enhancing our energy security picture.   

Madison has been studying the creation of a modern streetcar system for the past four years. The study area encompasses three general travel corridors emanating roughly 2-3 miles from the Capitol Square in the City of Madison (south, west, and northeast). A Study Committee appointed by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in May of 2005 investigated the potential of streetcars to enhance transportation and development in the city. The Committee employed a consulting team headed by Charlie Hales (Portland-HNTB) to conduct a preliminary feasibility study. The Consulting Team presented its final Report in late 2007. The Report identified three specific alignments, recommended vehicles, and assessed the benefits, and construction and operating costs associated with each alignment. The Study Committee has accepted the Report and it has been forwarded to the Madison Common Council and relevant city agencies and civic groups. The Executive Summary of the Report is online at http://www.downtowntrolley.org/whatsup/index.php_; click on"Executive Summary". Downtown Trolley, Inc, the Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation, and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin are the leading proponents of streetcars in Madison. There is continuing interest on the part of some stakeholders in moving forward.

Transport 2020: There is a regional transportation planning initiative called Transport 2020 that has been underway for ten years. The Transport 2020 Alternatives Analysis led to the adoption of a full-system plan that included commuter rail, regional buses, and streetcars. An Implementation Task Force has been working for the past three years and has endorsed an initial phase involving construction of a 13-mile commuter rail line from Middleton to Sun Prairie. The Task Force employed a consulting team headed by Ken Kinney (HNTB); the consultants developed a proposal for federal funding by the New Starts program, and submitted that proposal in 2008. A subcommittee of the Transport 2020 process was expanded in spring 2008 by adding representatives of contiguous communities and various stakeholders and reviewing the proposal; that committee will be finishing its work in nearly 2009.

Milwaukee

Contact:  Kris Martinsek

Updated 10/14/2010

Milwaukee has world-class corporations, cultural attractions, educational institutions and architecture. Soon, Milwaukee will have a world-class, user-friendly streetcar network for those who live, work and shop in the downtown area. The City of Milwaukee has evaluated various routes, technologies and operating scenarios to improve and enhance transit in and around downtown Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Connector Streetcar is scheduled to begin service in 2013. Using an innovative and comprehensive public involvement program, more than 300 community meetings were held to build public consensus on identifying, evaluating and selecting the appropriate station locations, station design concepts, and transit routing and technology. This led to the design of transit linkages to make the connection between stations and travel origins and destination more appealing.

New urban development, redevelopment and joint development opportunities have been identified that will be initiated in connection with the system to promote infill. Using modern streetcar vehicles, the Milwaukee Streetcar will begin as a two-mile starter system connecting the heart of the central business district with the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, Historic Third Ward and high-density residential areas just north of downtown. The initial system will have five vehicles powered by an electric overhead contact system with 10-minute headways throughout most of the day. The first route will have streetcar stops strategically located every two to three blocks, which will be within walking distance to 100% of downtown hotel rooms, 91% of occupied 1st floor retail/commercial space, 90% of occupied office space, 77% of downtown housing units and 77% of total downtown public parking facilities and lots.

Two route extensions, which would add 1.55 miles and up to eight additional stops to the initial route, are also under review. An extension along 4th Street would connect to the Intermodal Station and several large activity generators, including the Frontier Airlines Center, Bradley Center, hotels, offices, and the Park East and Brewery redevelopment areas. An extension along Prospect/Farwell would provide Lower East Side residents and the Brady Street commercial district with a direct connection to downtown. Service characteristics would be identical to the initial system; however, the additional route length would add an additional Streetcar vehicle. All improvements are planned within the existing right of way with Streetcars operating in mixed traffic with bump-outs at the stops.

[route maps]

Tucson, arizona



little rock, arkansas



Los angeles, california

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lake oswego, oregon