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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11986-2002Jan20.html D.C.
Transit May Go Retro WASHINGTON, DC - For nearly a century, streetcars clattered along steel tracks dug into the broad boulevards of the District and its suburbs, one of the most extensive trolley systems in the country. Congress killed the cream and green trolleys in January 1962, replacing them with diesel buses that promised a modern way to get around the city. But the explosion of downtown traffic, the pollution belched by buses and the difficulty of traveling across town on a hub-and-spoke subway system have forced city leaders to reconsider. On the 40th anniversary of the last trolley's final trip in the District, officials are looking to the past for a solution for the future: They want to revive the electric streetcar. And they have identified three possible routes . . . The District's revived interest in trolleys comes during a national renaissance of streetcars, also known as light rail. In 1975, seven cities operated light-rail systems. Today, that number is 19, with 10 extensions or systems under construction. An additional 43 systems are proposed or have been approved in places as diverse as Arizona and Hawaii. Even in New York, the U.S. city best served by transit, residents want a river-to-river trolley to link the East Village, the West Village and Greenwich Village. "It's not just in the U.S.; it's worldwide," said Tom Larwin, general manager of the transit system in San Diego, which was built in 1981 and was the first in the new wave of U.S. light-rail systems. "Light rail offers a lot of capacity, speed and performance like your Metro, but you can do it a lot cheaper." . . . As a means of transportation, light rail falls somewhere between bus and subway. It consists of rail cars that can run alone or as a train at average speeds of 10 mph, compared with 8 mph for buses and 27 mph for subways, according to P. Takis Salpeas, of Metro's department of transit system development. Stops are typically closer together than in a subway. Light rail runs on electricity, and most cars draw power from a pole that connects with overhead wires . . . Metro's senior managers say they have no bias against trolleys, but many believe that the best solution to crosstown travel is building another main subway line through the heart of the District. "Heavy rail makes more sense for places like M Street," said Royce Drake, a Metro engineer leading the District's light-rail studies. "That's just my opinion. And I recognize that these are decisions that are going to be made by the political leaders." Peter C. Kohler, a transportation historian and author of a new book about the waning years of the District streetcar, is blunt: "I don't see Metro as having any kind of commitment, emotionally and financially, to surface transportation," Kohler said. "Metro is heavy rail." Tangherlini said Metro's "organizational inertia" is a challenge. For example, Metro engineers say they require a width of 24 feet to lay a double track for light rail -- which would require the removal of on-street parking and maybe a travel lane and part of the sidewalk on some streets. But a new light-rail system in Kenosha, Wis., used only 16 feet to build its double track -- making it easier to fit on a street. "There are solutions that other cities are exploring," said Tangherlini . . "We have huge internal circulation needs," Tangherlini said, adding that trolleys could replace shuttle buses run by federal agencies to ferry workers across the city . . . Tangherlini sees the potential for a historic D.C. route for tourists but says the city's first obligation is to transport locals. Most District residents ride Metrobus, not Metrorail, because the bus network reaches far more neighborhoods than the subway, he said. Those bus riders need a faster way to get around. |
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