Thursday, January 07, 2016

DC Streetcar Prepares for Passenger Service in Late February

2014 H Street Festival
Folks check out a streetcar during the 2014 H Street Festival. Photo courtesy of DC Streetcar

The streetcars that have long run empty down H Street might actually get their first crack at carrying members of the public as passengers next month. The new target date is February 20th, but it could actually happen before then. Streetcars will not charge a fare, at least until riders get a bit more used to them.

Further reading:
D.C. Targets Late February For Streetcar Grand Opening (WAMU)
D.C. streetcars may roll — with riders — by the end of February (Washington Business Journal)


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look at that lady with sandals, doesn't she know those open-toed shoes will offer no protection when the streetcar runs over her foot! Watch your toes!

not a robot said...

I'll take the over.

Anonymous said...

people should be fired for what they did to this project. unbelievable.

Annoyingmous said...

Also, everyone that rides will get a free copy of Duke Nukem Forever and the follow-up to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.

Anonymous said...

THe red line has been delayed every morning this week. I think it is time for white flight 2.0....where we going?

Anonymous said...

Lol.

Anonymous said...

i guess the streetcar is better than taking the bus that comes up and down h st every 5 mins huh. is it free? cuz i dont see what value this streetcar adds other than more traffic, accidents, and what busy does anyone who actually wants to use the streetcar cuz they are scared of the bus, going past 13th street, lets be real here

Anonymous said...

A $200 million streetcar project that offers free rides. Lol.... I don't see the city maintaining the system with no cash flow.

Anonymous said...

the purpose of the streetcar was to help redevelop H street. mission accomplished it seems.

Anonymous said...

The only intelligent people who support the streetcars were those who can make a profit off the project. The other supporters are the same people who still walk into banks, and call up customer service (on a rotary phone) even when one click on-line does the same thing. Progress is desirable! Invent new and improved things and please stop doing the same old things that have already been found unsatisfactory

Jesse said...

Reasonable Comment:
I think this will be good for businesses that want to open on Benning and attract some of the new H street clientel that may be uncomfortable with the X2.

Ridiculous Comment:
I think they should charge $20 a ride and you get open bar while traveling down H and Benning.

My kids are looking forward to riding the street car.

Anonymous said...

"...i guess the streetcar is better than taking the bus that comes up and down h st every 5 mins huh. is it free? cuz i dont see what value this streetcar adds other than more traffic, accidents, and what busy does anyone who actually wants to use the streetcar cuz they are scared of the bus, going past 13th street, lets be real here..."

Since I have access to Google:

1 Streetcars have greater capacity than buses.
2 Streetcars can be more affordable than buses over the long term.
3 Streetcar tracks reassure riders they’re on the right route.
4 Streetcars stand out.
5 Streetcars are more comfortable to ride than buses.
6 Streetcars are economic development magnets.
7 Streetcars are quieter and cleaner than buses.
8 Streetcars are sometimes faster than buses.
9 Streetcars attract more riders than buses.

Oh, and they also do less damage to the road surface than buses.

(http://beyonddc.com/?p=1733)

Anonymous said...

A $200 million streetcar project that offers free rides. Lol.... I don't see the city maintaining the system with no cash flow.

Weird... How does the city maintain its multibillion dollar system of roads without charging tolls. Must be magic.

LOL

pat said...

The purpose of the Streetcar is it allows building bigger denser apartment buildings and office space.
You can put fewer parking spaces in buildings with public transit, that saves some 20% on the construction costs.
If it eliminates a bunch of car trips that's also a big benefit.

Anonymous said...

@4:48 Try thinking for yourself sometime.

Google will also tell you that you don't want a full time job or a human sized apartment. That you would rather have freedom and flexibility rather then benefits. That the economy is doing great and so are you. A 1.5 mile line streetcar that took 20 years to build and no other portions are even being worked on. You and I will be long dead and never see this utopia you dream of. Stop preaching and start improving the real world.

Anonymous said...

The streetcar project has been woefully mismanaged. Everybody can agree on that. The question of utility in my mind is related to the huge numbers of new apartment buildings coming online over the next three years or so. If the streetcar can make it to that point, there's going to be plenty of people riding it. I think there's some chance, however, that it will flame out after a few spectacular failures in the near term (huge delays, a super dumb accident, some sort of scandal) and never have the chance to serve the new ridership.

Anonymous said...

the streetcar is all about money and redevelopment. it worked for H street, mismanaged or not. the streetcar will survive and expand because of this. it will not be shut down.

Anonymous said...

Try thinking for yourself sometime.

You make a seriously compelling argument. All that's missing is calling everyone a "moran".

That and a coherent argument.