NOUPT to get streetcar service

[NativeSon5859]

The city of New Orleans received $45 million in Federal grants to construct a streetcar line connecting the Canal Street streetcar line to the Union Passenger Terminal, home of Amtrak and Greyhound. The streetcar will stop in front of NOUPT in the median and loop back around to Canal Street. Construction contracts need to be sent out by October, so this should get going relatively quickly.

New streetcar line to be built in downtown New Orleans

 

[Kramerica]

The city of New Orleans received $45 million in Federal grants to construct a streetcar line connecting the Canal Street streetcar line to the Union Passenger Terminal, home of Amtrak and Greyhound. The streetcar will stop in front of NOUPT in the median and loop back around to Canal Street. Construction contracts need to be sent out by October, so this should get going relatively quickly.
New streetcar line to be built in downtown New Orleans

Wow, that's great news! I would have definitely used that line at least for one end of my Amtrak trip to New Orleans in 2008.

This article has a link to a map showing the different proposed lines. If they can also get money for the Convention Center and French Quarter loops, that would be a huge plus for New Orleans. It is already a very pedestrian-friendly city to visit, and those would only make it better.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

This is great news for us tourists. Wish it had happened years ago.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[manchacrr]

Excellent news. Now I will be able to take the streetcar from my home to NOUPT to catch the trains!!

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

Whats the ETA for the start of construction and start of service?

 

[NativeSon5859]

Whats the ETA for the start of construction and start of service?

Construction contracts have to go out by October....so I guess depending on when they go out, construction could start this year at some point. No time frame listed for completion. My guess would be late 2011/early 2012....but that's just a guess. It took about 3 years for the Canal line to be completed and that was a lot longer than this one....so maybe a year/year and half for this one I would think.

 

[had8ley]

Great news !!! The present St. Charles line turns down Carondolet heading towards Canal Street about 6 blocks from NOUPT so it should not be a massive big dig like the Canal Street line was.

OOOPPPSSS...my bad...the new line will head to Canal via Loyola instead of Carondolet; need to read the whole story!

Even at a mile and a half it should not come near the distance the Canal Street line presently is in length.

 

[Guest]

It is good to see they are expanding.

I wish they would do something about the streetcar stop at the cruise terminal. Unless you are a strapping young lad or packing very light it is useless.

 

[henryj]

I you look at the NORTA site this is part of a much larger plan to construct a French Quarter Loop and a waterfront loop. Here is the link.

http://www.norta.com/files/CanalTerminal/P...3-2010)_web.pdf

The Union Station connection would go out Loyola to Canal then down Canal to complete the wharehouse/convention center loop. It will be connected to the St Charles line via Howard street to Lee Circle I assume for ease of movement to and from the Barn. The tracks are already there going partially up Howard. On the other side of Canal the French Quarter loop would continue out Rampart and St Claude to Elysian Fields where it connects with the Waterfront line which is extended up Elysian Fields to Claude. It then continues a little farther on Claude to Press St. The Water Front loop would simply loop back via Convention Center Blvd with a short detour up Poydrass and Tchoupitalous to Canal. It will greatly increase traffic on lower Canal with three lines competing for space. So this Union Station connection is just the first phase of this three part plan.

 

[como]

I you look at the NORTA site this is part of a much larger plan to construct a French Quarter Loop and a waterfront loop. Here is the link.
http://www.norta.com/files/CanalTerminal/P...3-2010)_web.pdf

The Union Station connection would go out Loyola to Canal then down Canal to complete the wharehouse/convention center loop. It will be connected to the St Charles line via Howard street to Lee Circle I assume for ease of movement to and from the Barn. The tracks are already there going partially up Howard. On the other side of Canal the French Quarter loop would continue out Rampart and St Claude to Elysian Fields where it connects with the Waterfront line which is extended up Elysian Fields to Claude. It then continues a little farther on Claude to Press St. The Water Front loop would simply loop back via Convention Center Blvd with a short detour up Poydrass and Tchoupitalous to Canal. It will greatly increase traffic on lower Canal with three lines competing for space. So this Union Station connection is just the first phase of this three part plan.

Does this line serve any of the residential areas that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina?

 

[henryj]

I you look at the NORTA site this is part of a much larger plan to construct a French Quarter Loop and a waterfront loop. Here is the link.
http://www.norta.com/files/CanalTerminal/P...3-2010)_web.pdf

.

Does this line serve any of the residential areas that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina?

No I don't believe it does. If you are talking the Ninth Ward, that is across the canal. The Canal street line, however, goes through parts of the city that were under 6-7 feet of water as the streetcars themselves were damaged by the flood.

 

[daveyb99]

Nice. Divert funds from the much needed TOWER 55 project to do this.

I hope the tourists enjoy.

 

[henryj]

Nice. Divert funds from the much needed TOWER 55 project to do this.
I hope the tourists enjoy.

New Orleans has been trying to get it's streetcar system back ever since it was torn up in the 1950's and 60's. It was a stupid short sighted move at the time but of course no one did anything. Now they have to pay millions to get back what they once had. I was not aware they diverted funds from the Tower 55 project. But if they did it's prob because Texas is Republican and New Orleans is Democratic. lol

 

[dlagrua]

This is great news for us tourists. Wish it had happened years ago.
Thanks for sharing.

Back in the 1940 and 50's New Orleans had a vast and effective trolley system and they did stop in that area It took 70 years to relaize that Trolleys are an efficient and CLEAN mode of transportation and that they are needed again? THis reconstruction project comes after 100's of miles of track have been ripped up and paved opver. Now some lines are being brought back. Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

 

[tp49]

Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

New Orleans has never been synonymous with good government. Now corrupt government on the other hand the city is quite familiar with.

 

[GG-1]

Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

New Orleans has never been synonymous with good government. Now corrupt government on the other hand the city is quite familiar with.

Aloha

Good goverment can only happen if We the People get and stay involved. I confess I don't do as much as I should.

 

[had8ley]

Nice. Divert funds from the much needed TOWER 55 project to do this.
I hope the tourists enjoy.

New Orleans has been trying to get it's streetcar system back ever since it was torn up in the 1950's and 60's. It was a stupid short sighted move at the time but of course no one did anything. Now they have to pay millions to get back what they once had. I was not aware they diverted funds from the Tower 55 project. But if they did it's prob because Texas is Republican and New Orleans is Democratic. lol

I agree with what you say BUT General Motors and Firestone were involved in eliminating the Pacific Electric System in Southern California which was a much more elaborate street car network. New Orleans is just a drop in the bucket to get back in the street car business compared to L.A. and vicinity. As far as stupid and short sighted cities that eliminated their street cars there too many to list on one page...and New Orleans was one of the very few cities that did retain at least some street car service while almost every other city was sending their cars to the scrap barn.

 

[MikefromCrete]

This is great news for us tourists. Wish it had happened years ago.
Thanks for sharing.

Back in the 1940 and 50's New Orleans had a vast and effective trolley system and they did stop in that area It took 70 years to relaize that Trolleys are an efficient and CLEAN mode of transportation and that they are needed again? THis reconstruction project comes after 100's of miles of track have been ripped up and paved opver. Now some lines are being brought back. Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

With the exception of Boston, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, just about every other city in the nation got rid of street car service, most while the transit operations were under private operation. New Orleans at least kept the St. Charles operating. The elimination of street cars was seen as progress in the 1940s and 1950s. So, just about every city in the place was guilty of short sightedness. The car was seen as the ulitmate answer to all transportation needs.

 

[MrFSS]

My hometown, Louisville, Ky, had a wonderful streetcar system that was removed in the 40's and 50's. It was also linked to a great suburban interurban system that covered much of central Kentucky. Those were the days.

A good friend of mine, who I went to high school with, has a video of the Louisville streetcar history.

 

[Larry H.]

This is great news for us tourists. Wish it had happened years ago.
Thanks for sharing.

Back in the 1940 and 50's New Orleans had a vast and effective trolley system and they did stop in that area It took 70 years to relaize that Trolleys are an efficient and CLEAN mode of transportation and that they are needed again? THis reconstruction project comes after 100's of miles of track have been ripped up and paved opver. Now some lines are being brought back. Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

With the exception of Boston, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, just about every other city in the nation got rid of street car service, most while the transit operations were under private operation. New Orleans at least kept the St. Charles operating. The elimination of street cars was seen as progress in the 1940s and 1950s. So, just about every city in the place was guilty of short sightedness. The car was seen as the ulitmate answer to all transportation needs.

Oh, if only it were true about these cities.. We visited San Francisco last year for the first time since the early 60's. The wonderful net work of existing lines I rather expected to find running had been removed, only to leave a rather short, "tourist" route from Castro District the the Water Front Shopping district. I wouldn't exactly call that saving their "systems". New Orleans was the same, tourist benefits only, the rest of them long gone. Granted its better than no examples of their great networks, but hardly a streetcar system worthy of its name. Wether they will ever come back as they once were is questionable. I lived in St. Louis and in the 50's and 60's rode many existing lines often. No one seemed to notice them or consider them a problem. However when the new Metrolink decided to expand and wanted to use the exact route that ran for 80 years in the Clayton neighborhoods, the people raised such a stink it had to be rerouted out of the town and dug in a trench to keep it out of view. Sad how things have changed.

 

[henryj]

This is great news for us tourists. Wish it had happened years ago.
Thanks for sharing.

Back in the 1940 and 50's New Orleans had a vast and effective trolley system and they did stop in that area It took 70 years to relaize that Trolleys are an efficient and CLEAN mode of transportation and that they are needed again? THis reconstruction project comes after 100's of miles of track have been ripped up and paved opver. Now some lines are being brought back. Does this sound like good governemnt at work?

With the exception of Boston, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, just about every other city in the nation got rid of street car service, most while the transit operations were under private operation. New Orleans at least kept the St. Charles operating. The elimination of street cars was seen as progress in the 1940s and 1950s. So, just about every city in the place was guilty of short sightedness. The car was seen as the ulitmate answer to all transportation needs.

The New Orleans transit system was run by and subsidized by the Electric Company. The system was paid for with your monthly electric bill. This worked great through the 60's and the fare was maintained at only 10 cents. The city had a substantial streetcar and trolley bus network at the time. Unfortunately, each time the electric company suggested abandoning one of the streetcar lines in favor of busses the city went along with it until the Canal line was abandoned. At the time a large group of people protested but couldn't save the line. They did save the St Charles line. It wasn't long after that the City took over the system and started to try and find a way to put the streetcars back on Canal. They have been trying to get back what they lost ever since. No electric trolley busses have returned yet however although it has been proposed.

Pittsburgh was even worse. They still had their complete trolley network into the 60's when the local politicians decided to get rid of it, probably because they could get some kick backs by converting to buses. There were lots of protests to no avail. People were called 'trolley jolly' for supporting retention. They did suceed in saving the three lines that were on private ROW and used the tunnel which survive until today.

Philadelphia, which you left out, also had a large system that lasted late. SEPTA which runs the system still tries to get ride of streetcars and trolley buses even today. Most of the lines left use the downtown subway. The surface lines have been abandoned one by one until there may be just one left. They still have three or four trolley bus lines also.

Baltimore had a similar fate. It's system was largely intact into the 60's when it was finally dismantled. Now they are trying to get it back at huge expense. St Louis lasted late and is also trying to get something back.

Boston is another city that kept the lines that use the downtown subway. But even there they have truncated and abandoned some lines long after it became unfavorable. They also have a trolley bus system that operates around Harvard Square.

Of course now 'light rail' is back in favor with city planners and is making comebacks all over the world. But some short sighted city managers are still fighting it. And Edmonton, Alberta just last year abandoned it's complete trolley bus network in favor of hybrid buses. Go figure.

 

[AlanB]

Philadelphia, which you left out, also had a large system that lasted late. SEPTA which runs the system still tries to get ride of streetcars and trolley buses even today. Most of the lines left use the downtown subway. The surface lines have been abandoned one by one until there may be just one left. They still have three or four trolley bus lines also.

Actually Philly restored the #15 surface line to service I believe 3 years ago, might have been 2. They even rebuilt the PCC cars adding lifts and AC to the cars for that line.

 

[wayman]

Philadelphia, which you left out, also had a large system that lasted late. SEPTA which runs the system still tries to get ride of streetcars and trolley buses even today. Most of the lines left use the downtown subway. The surface lines have been abandoned one by one until there may be just one left. They still have three or four trolley bus lines also.

Actually Philly restored the #15 surface line to service I believe 3 years ago, might have been 2. They even rebuilt the PCC cars adding lifts and AC to the cars for that line.

And having restored the #15, that brings the number of surface trolley lines up to six. I believe the Elmwood Ave (36), Woodward Ave (11), Chester Ave (13), Baltimore Ave (34), and Lancaster Ave (10) trolleys have all operated continuously. The Girard Ave line (15) was restored to trolley service after about fifteen years of being a bus.

The full infrastructure remains for the #23 as well -- at one time the longest urban streetcar line in the world, extending all the way from Chestnut Hill to South Philly. All the track and wires are still in place... though restoration of trolley service seems highly unlikely.

And a new line, which will be the seventh in operation, is in the planning stage. This will be a trolley along Philadelphia's waterfront using existing Columbus Ave tracks and running on new tracks down Market St from the waterfront to City Hall and the Convention Center, with possible future extensions south to the Navy Yard or Phillies/Eagles stadiums.

Also, don't forget our two former Red Arrow suburban trolleys, to Media and Sharon Hill, and our former Philadelphia & Western trolley to Norristown, all running continuously for approximately a century. Of all the lines mentioned, only the Norristown line runs third-rail; all others are catenary.

This is peanuts compared to what we once had. PTC track map, 1954. But it's probably more continuously operated surface catenary/trolley lines than any other American city.

 

[John Bredin]

We visited San Francisco last year for the first time since the early 60's. The wonderful net work of existing lines I rather expected to find running had been removed, only to leave a rather short, "tourist" route from Castro District the the Water Front Shopping district. I wouldn't exactly call that saving their "systems".

Umm, you're correct that San Francisco has only one tourist route, the F, operated on the surface with vintage streetcars from various cities. Many would argue that the old cable cars are also primarily a tourist operation.

But you did notice the subway under Market Street, right? :unsure: Well, one level of the tunnel is for BART trains but another level is for Muni light rail. Those light rail lines are, in the neighborhoods outside the tunnel, the continuously-operating old lines.

San Francisco municipal railways map

The T line is new construction, as is the downtown tunnel, but the other routes are the "net work of existing lines" you apparently didn't notice while in San Francisco.

Or, to quote the relevant Wikipedia article,

While many streetcar lines in other cities and San Francisco itself were converted to buses after World War II, five lines survived until the 1970s, when the streetcar lines were converted to light rail during the opening of the Market Street Subway in 1980.

 

[George Harris]

Oh, if only it were true about these cities.. We visited San Francisco last year for the first time since the early 60's. The wonderful net work of existing lines I rather expected to find running had been removed, only to leave a rather short, "tourist" route from Castro District the the Water Front Shopping district.

Maybe you should have gotten a transit system map. There are several light rail lines that are one level down under Market street and then fan out to other parts of the city. Once beyond Market Street, these are for the most part on old street car routes. There is also a huge network of electric trolley buses. One of the most useless and aggravating appendages that you can have in San Francisco, whether resident or tourist, is an automobile.