Alternative & Renewable Energy Blog

In recent years, cities have revitalized or installed streetcars and light-rail systems to stimulate economic and demographic growth. Not surprisingly, the public has taken to the idea in great numbers. During the 1970s and 1980s, some cities listened to commuter calls for an alternative way to get to work. San Diego was the first American city to build a modern light-rail system. Launched in the late 1970s, the California community's first line ran from San Diego to near the Mexican border and was immediately popular with the public.

Some twenty years later, Portland became the first American city to revive its electric streetcar service. In 2001, Oregon's most populous city built the first major, modern streetcar system in the United States for $57 million (USD). The investment has resulted in the creation of over 10,000 new residences and the investment of $3.5 billion within two blocks on either side of the streetcar lines. Today, other cities are studying Portland's success and seeking to copy it.

Older cities in Ohio are some of the communities that may follow in Portland's footsteps. In the early 1900s, Ohio claimed the largest network of trolley tracks in the United States. Now Cincinnati wants to return to those glory days. The New York Times reports that city officials are garnering financing for a $132 million streetcar system "that would connect the city's riverfront stadiums, downtown business district, and Uptown neighborhoods". The Times also reports that "at least 40 other cities are exploring streetcar plans to spur economic development, ease traffic congestion, and draw young professionals and empty-nest baby boomers back from the suburbs."

Cincinnati officials plan to pay for the proposed streetcar system with existing tax revenues and $30 million in private investment. Columbus, Ohio is also considering putting in a $103 million streetcar system from the Ohio State University campus to the downtown business district. It would be financed by a 4 percent surcharge on concert tickets, sporting events, and downtown parking, with an additional $12.5-million contribution from Ohio State University.

In recent years, many downtowns have begun to see their real estate values rebound. Consequently, streetcar and light-rail system promoted development extends back to the West Coast and to San Francisco and Sacramento. The continually- expanding Mission Bay Project in San Francisco offers streetcar line service to ferry service and exemplifies a fast-growing type of transit-oriented development. In environmentally-conscious California, streetcar use is also seen as a "green" alternative to driving a car.

Light-rail systems are also gaining popularity in many cities that once had streetcars. San Diego started this trend some 20 years ago, but it continues in many large to mid-sized cities today. Baltimore, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; and St. Louis, Missouri all have new light-rail and streetcar systems which continue to attract passengers who are either moving back to downtown areas, or are tired of the long commutes and hassles of the freeway. In terms of environmental impact, urban planners confirm that a rail line uses only one-quarter of the land needed for a six-lane freeway

Conclusion

Tired of stalled commuter traffic and never-ending freeway congestion, the American public seems ready for a better way to get to work. In cities large and small, the traveling public is clamoring for new forms of mass-transit (such as light rail) and a return to the old technology of streetcars. Will the innovative designs, cost-effectiveness, and overall efficiency of electrically-powered streetcars bring them back to the streets of American cities?

Commuters once thought that the automobile was the only way to travel, in part because of America's interest in personal mobility. But is the electric streetcar the answer? It's interesting to note an article from the Saturday Evening Post in 1899. Though written during a time of great technological innovation, "The Trolley and it's Numerous Failings" excoriates the streetcar. "While the modern railroad has achieved almost perfection in its comforts and conveniences," the writer explains, "the modern trolleys distinctly fail in nearly everything in which it ought to be complete."

This piece in the Post concludes by arguing that the solution to the trolley problem in 1899 was the development of the automobile. Wouldn't it be ironic if a twenty-first century trolley now became the remedy for America's automobile problem? For some observers, such a reversal of fortune might be called "A Streetcar Named Progress".

Resources:

Driehaus, Bob. "Downtowns Across the U.S. See Streetcars in Their Future" New York

Times 14 Aug. 2008: A17

Previous Blog Entries in This Series

The American Streetcar (Part 1)

From Stagecoach to Streetcar (Part 2)

From Horse-Drawn Streetcars to Cable Cars (Part 3)

The Birth of the Electric Streetcar (Part 4)

Electric Streetcars and Trolley Technology (Part 5)

Electric Streetcars: Private Lines and Public Roads (Part 6)

The Rise of the Electric Streetcar (Part 7)

Electric Streetcars and the Industrial Revolution (Part 8)

General Electric and the Schenectady Streetcar (Part 9)

Streetcar Suburbs and Interurban Trolleys (Part 10)

Electric Amusement: The Trolley and Leisure (Part 11)

The Streetcar Turns a Corner (Part 12)

Electric Streetcars: The PCC and Wartime Mobility (Part 13)

Post-War Trauma for the Streetcar (Part 14)

The Long, Slow Near-Death of the American Streetcar (Part 15)