El Paso Streetcar

The El Paso Streetcar is a streetcar system in El Paso, Texas, that uses a fleet of restored PCC streetcars[6] that had served the city's previous system until its closure in 1974.[7] It opened for service on November 9, 2018. The system covers 4.8 miles (7.7 km)[1][8] (round trip) in two loops from Downtown El Paso to University of Texas at El Paso. The system was constructed under the authority of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, but when the major construction was completed, around spring 2018, it was transferred to Sun Metro, for operation and maintenance.[7] In 2022, the system had a ridership of 65,400, or about 400 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023.

El Paso Streetcar
A streetcar at the carbarn in downtown El Paso
Overview
LocaleEl Paso, Texas, U.S.
Stations27 stops[1]
Websitesunmetro.net/streetcar
Service
TypeStreetcar
Services2
Operator(s)Sun Metro
Rolling stock6 refurbished PCC streetcars
Daily ridership400 (weekdays, Q2 2023)[2]
Ridership65,400 (2022)[3]
History
OpenedNovember 9, 2018 (November 9, 2018)
Technical
Line length4.8 mi (7.7 km) (round trip)
Number of tracks1
CharacterStreetcar in mixed traffic
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 650 V DC[4][5]
Route diagram

 Baltimore & Mesa
Don Haskins Center
Stanton & Cincinnati
UTEP
Oregon & University
Stanton & Kerbey
Children's Hospital
Oregon & Rim
Stanton & Rim
Oregon & River
Stanton & California
Oregon & Rio Grande
Stanton & Arizona
Oregon & Yandell
Stanton & Yandell
I-10.svgUS 180.svg I-10 / US 180
Oregon & Missouri
Stanton & Missouri
Franklin & El Paso
Franklin & Mesa
Amtrak
to Union Depot
Amtrak
Texas Eagle
Sunset Limited
Santa Fe & Mills
Kansas & Mills
Santa Fe & Overland
Kansas & San Antonio
Paisano Drive
Kansas & 1st
Maintenance
Facility
US 85.svgUS 62.svg US 85 / US 62
Santa Fe & 4th
Father Rahm & El Paso
Father Rahm & Stanton

History
A streetcar on the former El Paso–Juárez streetcar line in the 1960s
Main article: El Paso City Lines

Historically, the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez relied on a unified streetcar system across the Rio Grande which initially consisted of horse and mule-drawn trolleys,[9] which were replaced by the first electrified street cars in 1902.[10] In 1913, the first urban streetcar lines appeared.[11] Between 1920 and 1925, there were 52 miles (83 km) of trolley system, with 2.1 million passengers using the service in 1922.[12] The increasing availability of the automobile led El Paso to abandon most of its streetcar infrastructure in the 1940s, with the exception of the international line, which was renewed with 20 PCC streetcars from San Diego in 1950.[10]

On May 4, 1974,[13][14] the last remaining cars in use made their final trips. They were taken to a desert area by the airport, where they eventually rusted and decayed.

Revival

On June 5, 2012, the city council unveiled a new route, creating a narrow loop for the service; streetcars would travel north on Stanton Street, turn left at Glory Road/Baltimore, then south on Oregon Street. A downtown loop runs east on Franklin Avenue, south on Kansas Street, west on Father Rahm, and north on Santa Fe Street.[15] The El Paso City Council approved going forward with the project in July 2014.[16]

Construction began in late December 2015.[1] As of 2016, construction of the system was projected to cost $97 million.[1] In November 2016, the city disclosed that construction funds had been extorted in a phishing scam perpetrated by an entity posing as a contractor – most of the funds had been recovered by the time it was publicly announced.[17] By March 2018, construction was 95 percent complete.[7] The first of the refurbished streetcars was received on March 19, 2018,[18] and the first test trip on the line under power was made on April 3.[19]

The system opened on Friday, November 9, 2018.[6] On the three-day opening weekend, just six of the 27 stops were being served, from Santa Fe & 4th to Kansas & Mill, but all other stops were due to open on November 12, 2018.[20] Fares are based on Sun Metro's fare structure, which means a $1.50 fare for riders not qualifying for any reduction; $1 for students and children; $0.30 for seniors. All rides were free on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until January 5, 2019.[6] 24-hour passes are $3.50; 7-day passes cost between $2.50 and $12.

Streetcar service was suspended on March 22, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[21] but resumed on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays starting on July 29, 2021.[22]

Rolling stock

City officials expressed their desire to preserve the history of El Paso by refurbishing the old PCC streetcars that once made their way through Downtown from 1949 to 1974.[23] The city had about eight streetcars, which were stored in a desert area at the El Paso International Airport.[24] These cars were originally manufactured in 1937 for service in San Diego, California.[25]

Work to restore six cars to operating condition began in 2015 and was carried out by Brookville Equipment Corporation. The cars are painted in color schemes used by the previous El Paso streetcar system from the 1950s until its closure in the 1970s, with three different versions – representing the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s,[5][26] – used on two cars each. Modifications to the cars included the installation of wheelchair lifts, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, half-diamond pantographs in place of trolley poles, and the addition of air conditioning.[25] They have kept their original fleet numbers of 1504, 1506, 1511, 1512, 1514, and 1515.

The first of the restored streetcars, No. 1506, was received from Brookville on 19 March 2018.[18][27] By mid-October, all but one of the six had been received.[28] The last of the six streetcars to complete its restoration, No. 1511, was received on December 19, 2018.[29][30]

List of streetcar stops

from Downtown El Paso to UTEP, then back to downtown based on Figure 8 Loop order

  Downtown Loop   Uptown Loop

No. Stop Intersection Direction Loop Destination(s)
1Downtown Transit CenterSanta Fe Street & Fourth Avenuenorth Downtown Transit Center
Streetcar Maintenance & Storage Facility
2OverlandSanta Fe & Overland Avenuenorth 
3Convention CenterSanta Fe & Sheldon Courtnorth Williams Convention Center
4Cleveland SquareFranklin Avenue & El Paso Streeteast Cleveland Square Park
Southwest University Park
5San JacintoFranklin & Mesa Streeteast   San Jacinto Plaza
6MissouriStanton Street & Missouri Avenuenorth 
7MontanaStanton & Yandell Avenuenorth 
8ArizonaStanton & Arizona Avenuenorth 
9CathedralStanton & California Avenuenorth Cathedral High School
10RimStanton & Rim Roadnorth 
11KernStanton & Kerbey Avenuenorth Kern Place
12Cincinnati DistrictStanton & Cincinnati Avenuenorth 
13BaltimoreBaltimore Drive & Mesawest 
14Glory Road Transit CenterOregon Street & Glory Roadsouth Glory Road Transit Center
15BostonOregon & Boston Avenuesouth 
16UniversityOregon & University Avenuesouth University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
17HagueOregon & Hague Roadsouth 
18SchusterOregon & Rim Roadsouth 
19CliffOregon & Cliff Drivesouth 
20Rio GrandeOregon & Rio Grande Avenuesouth El Paso Community College
21YandellOregon & Yandellsouth 
22Arts DistrictOregon & Missourisouth El Paso Public Library
Museum of History
23City HallKansas Street & Mills Avenuesouth El Paso City Hall
24CourthouseKansas & San Antonio Avenuesouth El Paso County Courthouse
251st AvenueKansas & First Avenuesouth 
26StantonFather Rahm Avenue & Stantonwest 
27El PasoFather Rahm & El Pasowest 

See also

References
  1. Ramirez, Cindy (September 23, 2016). "Streetcar work remains on time, budget". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  3. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. Perez, Elida S. (January 8, 2018). "Don't get electrocuted by Downtown streetcar cables, officials warn". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  5. "Streetcar No. 1504 Arrives This Weekend, Wearing Vintage Green-on-Green Colors". El Paso Herald-Post (website). New Desert Media, LLC. July 13, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  6. "El Paso streetcars make their return after 45-year absence". El Paso Times. November 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  7. Perez, Elida S. (March 11, 2018). "Downtown El Paso streetcars roll closer to completion; Sun Metro prepares to take over". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  8. "El Paso streetcar project on schedule, on budget". KTSM-TV. October 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  9. "History". www.sunmetro.net. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  10. "The Legend of El Paso's Transnational Streetcar". CityLab. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  11. Dawson, Ronald; Dawson, Ronald E. (2003). Streetcars at the Pass: The Story of the Mule Cars of El Paso, the Suburban Railway to Tobin Place, and the Interurban to Ysleta. New York: iUniverse. pp. 71. ISBN 978-0-595-29623-1.
  12. Najera, Jerry (December 14, 2017). "El Paso street cars then and now". KVIA. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  13. Morrison, Allen (2003). "The Tramways of Ciudad Juárez". Electric Transport in Latin America. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  14. Simons, Vic (March 2019). "El Paso's streetcar resurrection". Tramways & Urban Transit. pp. 96–98. ISSN 1460-8324. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  15. "El Paso Development News: Council Chooses Streetcar Route". Elpasodevnews.com. June 6, 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  16. Ramirez, Cindy (July 22, 2014). "City Council moves forward on El Paso Streetcar Project". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  17. Perez, Elida S. (November 2, 2016). "City, streetcar project scammed for $3.2 million". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  18. De Leon, Gloria; Gonzalez, Jessica (November 9, 2018). "Streetcar takes passengers along routes for first time". KDBC. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  19. "Newly restored streetcar tested in downtown El Paso". El Paso Times. April 3, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  20. "Inauguration Ceremony Officially Restarts El Paso Streetcar Service Friday". El Paso Herald-Post (website). November 8, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  21. Navarrete, JC (March 21, 2020). "El Paso Streetcar stops running due to virus outbreak". KVIA-TV. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  22. "El Paso Streetcar is back". Mass Transit. July 28, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  23. Flores, Aileen B. "El Paso City Council seeks to refurbish old trolleys for project". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  24. Torres, Ceasar (November 18, 2015). "Blast from the Past: Streetcars Returning to Downtown El Paso". El Paso 411. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  25. Worrell, Carolina (October 27, 2015). "Brookville to restore, modernize El Paso PCC streetcars". Railway Age. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
  26. "El Paso Streetcar Project complete, to open soon". KTSM-TV. November 4, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  27. Perez, Elida S. (March 19, 2018). "Welcome home! Streetcar No. 1506 arrives in Downtown El Paso". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  28. "Brookville delivers 100th streetcar vehicle and 50th PCC streetcar in 2018, a fitting commemoration of a century in rail equipment manufacturing" (Press release). Brookville Equipment Corporation. October 15, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  29. Lambie, Mark R. (December 19, 2018). "The final car in the fleet: PCC Streetcar 1511 arrives in El Paso". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  30. Valencia, Jamel (December 19, 2018). "Last of six streetcars makes it to El Paso". KFOX-TV. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
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