A Desire Named Streetcar Minneapolis’ New Streetcar Ambitions Ginger Murphy Ryan Gaug Heng Hu W. Kyle Chester Ryan Loos CE 5212/PA 5232 Transportation Policy, Planning, and Deployment Professor David Levinson October 10, 20072 Introduction The arrival of the Hiawatha Light Rail Line in the Twin Cities in 2004 gave metro area transit enthusiasts something to be excited about – and even more transit projects are in the works. From new light rail lines to bus rapid transit and commuter rail, things are getting interesting. This case study focuses on a relatively new proposal to bring streetcars back to Minneapolis. Streetcars have quietly been gaining interest and momentum in Minneapolis. This case study investigates the City’s plans for a streetcar renaissance. We will also provide historical and policy context for streetcar policy, as well as case studies of streetcars in Portland and Toronto. What is a Streetcar? The first obstacle to discussing streetcars is defining “streetcar.” No universal definition exists. Instead, the difference between a streetcar, tram, and light rail system is a continuum based mostly on how the vehicles are operated and what part of the world they are in. All three are the nearly identical in terms of transportation technology. We will focus on the difference between streetcars and light rail, since this is most important to our discussion of the Minneapolis transit system. Moreover, the term “tram” is predominantly used outside of the United States. 1 The previously mentioned continuum is based on three factors: • On-street operation vs. separate right of way • Frequency of stops • Length of route Streetcars tend to operate on the street, with autos, while light rail tends to have separate right of way. This is only a tendency – the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis operates alongside traffic in a number of places, while some sections of the proposed streetcar network will operate on separate right of way. Streetcars also have more frequent stops than light rail. This approximates the difference between local and limited stop service. Additionally, streetcars tend to have shorter routes. They generally act as circulators for neighborhoods, rather than connections between neighborhoods. However, the old streetcar lines in the Twin Cities did reach into the suburbs. Streetcar History National America's transit industry can trace its roots to 1827 with the first urban coach line in New York City. The development of steam trains and horse cars in the 1830s reduced costs and made transit available to more people. By 1880 American cities had 10,000 miles of horse-car rail lines. In 1871 private entrepreneurs built the New York elevated train, which carried masses of people on short trips for a nickel each. New York had its first cable car in 1868 and the first subway in 1870. Outside major cities, transit boomed only after electric streetcars were fully developed around 1890. Streetcars had such tremendous cost advantages over other forms of urban transportation that by 1910, almost every American city with more than 10,000 people had one or more streetcar lines, nearly all of which were built with private funds. Many streetcar 1 Both streetcars and light rail are distinct from heavy rail (such as Amtrak) and commuter rail (such as the planned Northstar Corridor).3 lines were built to connect suburban real estate developments with downtown job centers, and transit fares paid the operating costs (O’Toole 2006). Streetcars emerged as an important form of urban transportation between 1895 and 1915 (Garrison and Levinson 2006, 130). At first, competition reigned – different companies ran parallel lines and many lines connected poorly with the rest of the system. As streetcar systems matured, they were consolidated and rationalized. Streetcars were able to achieve economies of scale based on higher capacities, as well as the fact that electric companies often owned streetcar lines. This type of vertical integration became part of the downfall of the streetcar when such operations were declared monopolies and broken up. Since electric companies often operated streetcars at a loss because they were able to run lines out to suburbs and also sell power there, anti-monopoly laws caused them to sell off the streetcars and maintain the profitable electric companies. Buses began to replace and supplement streetcar lines in 1912, when Cleveland Railway became the first street-railway company to purchase buses. By 1920 only ten street-railway companies owned a total of 60 buses. (Miller 1960, 154) At first, buses were used solely as feeder lines, bringing passengers to the nearest streetcar station. As streetcar systems began to be converted to bus operations, buses simply took over service for the defunct streetcar lines. Twin Cities The Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company (TCRT) was formed in 1890 after the St. Paul City Railway Co. and Minneapolis Street Railway merged. TCRT primarily operated streetcars, although it also incorporated some other forms of transportation, including steamboats and taxis. It was a private company until 1970 when the Twin Cities Area Metropolitan Transit Commission took it over. TCRT reached its peak ridership in 1922 at 226 million rides. During this time, TCRT did not operate any buses. Ridership fell throughout the 1920s and 1930s and bottomed out at 104 million in 1940. World War II caused a brief rebound in ridership, with 1946 seeing up to 201 million passengers. However, the downward trend continued after the war (Kieffer 1958, 43-44). In the 1930s TCRT began introducing buses at a very limited scale. The company at the time was focused on boosting its image to attract more riders and attempted to do so by investing in new President’s Modern Conference Cars (PCCs). Though the modern cars drew rave reviews, they did little to improve ridership or help the company’s financial situation. Some lines at this time operated for free, since two-man crews were required to collect fares
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