10 new streetcar lines taking shape across the U.S.
The urban rail car renaissance continues
by
Patrick Sisson Jan 19, 2017, 4:39pm EST
It may be hard to believe when surveying the country’s car-centered cities, but streetcars used to be a mainstay of American urban design, ferrying pedestrians across town in
hundreds of cities across the nation. While many fell into decline and dis-use by the middle of the century, a new wave of streetcars has opened in cities in the past two decades, a somewhat nostalgic side effect of reurbanization looking to bring back more sustainable, pedestrian friendly transportation.
After a wave of systems broke ground and began running in the 2000s in cities such as Dallas, Portland and Salt Lake City, more and more streetcars systems are taking shape despite the complaint that these new takes on an older form of transportation lack the speed and frequency needed to
truly take root, and tend to operate in limited areas and functions more as tourist magnets (high ridership figures in
Kansas City and growing pains in
Cincinnati showcase this disparity). Here’s a look at some of the recently opened and proposed lines popping up across the country.
[...continues in fine detail with many excellent photos...]