DC Street Cars

Just before Christmas, something happened in DC that has not occured in over half a century: a streetcar was installed on tracks in the District. The often debated, and doubted (a city project run on time AND have enough funding? Crazy!), project finally gained some credibility. However, streetcars, in various forms, had been an integral part of city transportation for around 100 years. They began, in earnest, in 1862 as large cars on rails that were drawn by horses. The original line ran from the Capitol to the State Department, an important route as the country was embroiled in the midst of the Civil War in 1862. The streetcars saw enough success that the system was expanded by the fall of 1862 to include routes to Georgetown, the Navy Yards and the Potomac River. Eventually, new horse-drawn streetcar routes began to spread, with many new lines added between 1864 and 1897 as the post-war population of the city boomed. 

Streetcars really began to evolve into their iconic "trolley" look in the late 1880s with the incorporation of the new technology of electricity. Electricity seemed the genius solution to the problems the city was experiencing with the existing horse-drawn cars. The system was dirty and slow, hills were difficult to climb, the horses needed to be fed and housed, people had to be hired to clean up the waste the horses left behind on the streets, etc. As always, the city was looking for a way to cut costs. An overhead wire was installed above the tracks to channel the electricity from the powerstations it was generated at to the streetcars, which connected to the electric wire with long poles attached to the roof of the car. As is often the case when transportation technology improves, the city became more accessible and grew. The hilly parts of the city that had previously been too difficult for horse-drawn streetcars to reach were developed as people looked for more space to build houses. Gradually the rail companies began to switch to an underground electrical currents, phasing out the overhead wires that have remained iconic in cities like San Fransisco. By the turn of the century, that city had legally mandated the switch to electric streetcars.

As automobiles began to grow in popularity, the popularity of the streetcar started to wane. In the 1930s, the city began to systematically replace the existing streetcars with buses. Replacement escaleded during the 1950s and DC Transit ran its last streetcar in January 1962. The system was dismantled and the cars sold off and the rails sold as scrap. The car barns were sold, many converted into shops and residences, others, sadly, demolished. The streetcars didn't totally pass out of use, many of the new bus lines (and many that still exist today) followed to exact routes of the old streetcars.

Fifty years after the dismantling of the system, the city must have regretted (the shock) their decision to end the streetcar system and it is now being revamped and modernized. After many, assuredly expensive, surveys, the city decided that reinstating the streetcars would be beneficial. DC is a city that hasn't stopped growing and one of the goals of the new system is to link neighborhoods and make it easier for residents to travel back and forth. Rail lines are also fixed, which, in theory, would stimulate economic development by attracting housing, commercial, and retail investments. Anyone who has ridden a Metro Bus or on Metro Rail, know that overcapacity has become a huge problem. Hopefully, the addition of the streetcars will help alleviate some of that and balance ridership more evenly. As someone who frequently sits through the Orange Crush during rush hour on the way out of the city, I can say, any and all help is needed. Another benefit of the streetcars is a (hopeful) reduction of air pollution. Electric cars run cleanly and helps make the air easier to breathe (does Beijing have street cars?).

The city's new streetcars are approximately the same length as the articulated buses, but can hold more people: each car can accommodate an estimated 144-160 passengers. These new cars will operate using the iconic overhead wires and trolley poles and speeds will average between 25 and 35 miles per hour.  The first of the new streetcars was delivered and installed on December 13th, 2013. The city  will take some time to test the new car to ensure safety and work out any kinks. If you are often in the H Street corridor, drive by some time and get used to the new traffic patterns. Drive by and try this even if you don't usually find yourself near H Street, eventually, these cars will be spread out across the city and we'll all need to get used to sharing the road. One the city finished its testing, the new system will open to riders, though how long testing will last, we don't know.

Another benefit to the new streetcar system, they look cool. Soo many times we've seen photos of a place like San Fransisco and the trolley cars there and they always look awesome. There's something about a streetcar, where no matter how modern it may be, something about it always hearkens back to a bygone era. Maybe its to a simpler time, or a classier one. These new streetcars seem a good way to honor the past of our city, while helping it grow into the future. And admit it; you know you want to ride one.

For more information about the streetcar system, its history, its future, and thought provoking techinical questions, visit the city's website outlining the program.