2010 [survey of streetcar cities]

In December 2009, Oklahoma City citizens approved the MAPS 3 referendum, which established a one-cent local option sales tax for a duration of seven years and nine months, to fund a capital program of Municipal Area Projects (MAPS). The capital program includes eight projects, including $120 million for a new rail-based streetcar system.

The study area consists of King of Prussia, located in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, approximately 15 miles northwest of Center City Philadelphia. The proposed Route 100 extension would be approximately 4.9 miles in length. The extension would begin west from the existing Route 100 just north of Hughes Park Station, and would be primarily at grade for about 2.7 miles along the Chester Valley Branch and Morrisville Line railroad rights of way, both owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation (NS). Just south of the US 202/DeKalb Pike and King of Prussia Road intersection, the alignment would ramp up and become a double track elevated structure for 2.2 miles to the Valley Forge terminus. The King of Prussia, Plaza-Court and First Avenue Stations would be elevated, and the Valley Forge Station at grade.

The project is projected to cost approximately $265 million. The minimum operating segment is projected to cost approximately $150 million. A completion date is dependant on the completion of preliminary engineering, and securing capital funding and operation cost subsidies. The study area and alignment are complete; however, a revised alignment may be explored as a possible alternative during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Preliminary Engineering phase. SEPTA is currently evaluating this option pending issuance of FTA’s upgraded Small Starts evaluation process and criteria.

SEPTA is taking the lead on this project, and will look to the FTA, PennDOT, Montgomery County, and Delaware County for funding support. In addition, local partnering is expected from Upper Merion Township and the Greater Valley Forge TMA.

The Route 100 Rapid Transit Line is not a street-running operation. SEPTA has a light rail network that includes an exclusive right-of-way and mixed traffic street running operation in Philadelphia and Delaware County.

Route 15 Girard Avenue Trolley: SEPTA restored service in September 2005 on the Route 15 Girard Avenue Trolley with 18 rebuilt 1947 Presidential Conference Committee (PCC II) trolley cars. Route 15 trolley service provides transit service over the 8.2 mile stretch between 63rd Street & Girard Avenue and Richmond & Westmoreland Streets in West and North Philadelphia.

Significant improvements to the infrastructure along the trolley route have paved the way for the restored Route 15 trolley service. SEPTA renewed and repaired track along the route, renewed the overhead electrical power lines, upgraded the power supply system, built new island passenger platforms and made improvements to the traffic control system.

The rebuilt PCC II trolley car fleet is air-conditioned and feature state-of-the-art propulsion/braking system. The cars also include a new and brighter interior with original "art deco" lighting, passenger request signs, a public address system and cloth upholstered seats. The rehabilitated trolleys are cleaner, quieter and offer more seating capacity than standard buses. In addition, the PCC II cars are now wheelchair accessible.

PCC cars operated on Route 15, as well as several other SEPTA trolley routes, until 1992 when due to the deteriorated condition of the aging trolley fleet SEPTA replaced them with buses. SEPTA currently continues to operate seven trolley routes with modern light rail cars.

In 2009, RIPTA and the City of Providence completed the Metropolitan Providence Transit Enhancement Study, recommending ten strategies for improving transit within the metropolitan area. One of the recommendations was to “Build a Providence Streetcar.” RIPTA and the City have now jointly initiated the Providence Core Connector Study to evaluate this proposal in detail, and to consider other potential transit options that could provide more choices for riders and help meet community goals in the downtown area.

The Providence Core Connector Study aims to help advance overall City goals as established by residents in the City’s comprehensive plan Providence Tomorrow. The City’s vision focuses on encouraging economic development, revitalizing housing and strengthening neighborhoods, while supporting a high quality of life. Providence Tomorrow also emphasizes the role of existing and new transit modes in discouraging auto use and accommodating new development in targeted growth areas. The neighborhood plans for Downtown, College Hill and Upper South Providence also include strategies to expand and promote the use of transit.

RIPTA’s previous study confirmed the feasibility of building a streetcar segment in downtown Providence and recommended that further streetcar planning be advanced. Streetcars have been successfully employed in several other mid-sized cities in the United States, and serve to complement pedestrian activities in compact, mixed-use urban areas. Other transit options to be considered will include changes to existing RIPTA bus services (such as new routes or stops), as well as enhanced bus services within the downtown area that offer more frequent service, more attractive bus stops or other service improvements.

All options will be evaluated for their ability to connect the significant educational, employment and medical institutions in the downtown core with bus and rail services, as well for their ability to meet other community goals and to promote economic development in desired areas such as Downcity and the Knowledge District.
Tennessee

Memphis

Contact: Thomas D. Fox, Ph.D., AICP, Assistant General Manager of Adminstration, Memphis Area Transit Authority, tfox@matatransit.com

John Lancaster, AICP, Manager of Planning, Memphis Area Transit Authority,

901-722-0307, jclancaster@matatransit.com

Updated 10/4/2010

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) operates a 7-mile downtown trolley system that serves as a circulator for the Central Business and Medical Districts. It was developed in three phases of about equal length: Main Street Line in 1993, Riverfront Line in 1997, and Madison Avenue Line in 2004. At the present time, the downtown trolley system is considered complete, although short extensions are possible in the future.  Memphis operates 19 trolleys, most of which are restored cars from Oporto, Portugal and Melbourne, Australia. Ridership is about 1 million passengers per year.  A regional light rail project for the Downtown-Airport Corridor is in the Alternatives Analysis phase.  It would be integrated with the downtown trolley system but would use modern light rail vehicles, not streetcars/trolleys.

The estimated total project cost is $40 million, with a federal share of $32 million, which may come from Section 5309 Small Starts. Projected completion date (very tentative) is 2010.

The City of Dallas, DART and MATA are studying an expansion and modernization of the historic streetcar line to create a circulator system that will serve the core of downtown Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods. The study is examining alternative routes for streetcar lines that would complement LRT operations through the central business district.  It is also developing institutional and funding recommendations to carry out the construction and operation of the system.  It is anticipated that a plan will be adopted in the spring 2009.  Local funds to design an initial phase of this expansion have already been secured through the MPO for the region.  Funding sources currently being examined include federal funding, regional transportation funding, City bond funds, tax increment finance (TIF) or public improvement district (PID) funds, and parking surcharges.  There is significant political and community support for the development of a streetcar system.

In addition to this effort, the Oak Cliff area southwest of downtown has established the Oak Cliff Transit Authority (OCTA) to actively pursue the development of a streetcar line.

Fort Worth

Contact: David Gaspers, Project Manager, Planning and Development Department, City of Fort Worth, 817-392-8183, david.gaspers@fortworthgov.org

Updated 10/14/10

The current $2 million Modern Streetcar Planning and Design project, led by HDR Engineering, Inc. has evaluated potential alignments, provided ridership projections, cost estimates, and analyzed potential economic development. A finance and business plan will be completed in November 2010. HDR has recommended a starter project that is a three-mile route connecting Downtown Fort Worth with two emerging urban neighborhoods; Near Southside – a historically mixed-use area home to Fort Worth’s medical district (Phase 1A), and Trinity Uptown – a significant urban redevelopment and flood control project (Phase 1B). The starter alignment exhibits strong ridership and economic development potential and both districts have form-based codes in place to support a walkable, urban development pattern. Connections with existing Trinity Railway Express (TRE) and future Southwest-to-Northeast (SW2NE) commuter rail stations would link central city Fort Worth with the rest of the Metroplex by rail. In July 2010, the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority were notified by the FTA of the award of a $24.99 million Urban Circulator Grant for capital construction of the streetcar project. The business plan will incorporate this grant with identified local sources to fund the estimated $81 to $86 million construction cost for the starter alignment (Phase 1A: $53-55 million). The recommended alignment is within the boundaries of multiple tax increment financing (TIF) districts. One TIF district has already passed a resolution indicating their willingness to amend their project and financing plan to provide funding for construction of the streetcar project if approved by City Council. A second TIF district is scheduled to pass a similar resolution by the end of October 2010.

               worthymic@cityofgalveston.org

               jcarrara@thegoodmancorp.com

In 2009, Arlington County and Fairfax County initiated the next phase of the project development process for the streetcar project, known as the Columbia Pike Transit Initiative. With the assistance of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and under the guidance of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Counties will be filing an application for New Starts/Small Starts funding, completing a combined federal Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Assessment and conducting preliminary engineering. WMATA serves as the technical manager for this effort. The Counties will be making decisions about institutional and delivery mechanisms with the intent to proceed to construction at the completion of this phase of the project development process.

In 2006, the Counties had previously completed a local Alternatives Analysis with the assistance of WMATA, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and with input from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Building from previous public planning activities in the Columbia Pike corridor, the local Alternatives Analysis was supported by intensive public involvement. Based upon the findings of the local Alternatives Analysis, the Arlington County Board and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the streetcar alternative as for advancement into the nextphase of project development.

The project is five-miles in length, and will have fourteen stations and a primary storage and maintenance facility for 10 to 14 vehicles.

Potential economic benefits, streetcar facility and associated infrastructure needs, cost estimates, and funding sources. These were presented to City Council who expressed some interest in further exploration should matching private funds became available. Efforts to gain this support have been underway; however budget constraints on the development community and non-profit organizations due to the economy have put further considerations on hold. It is too early to tell if Small Starts will be pursued as a funding source, but it is a possibility and would be explored. The project was spearheaded by a public-private partnership between Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation and the City of Charlottesville. There is no streetcar service currently operating in Charlottesville.