Only a few more months of testing until you can ride it. Photograph by Flickr user DearEdward.
Fifty years after the last trolley was pulled off the roads, streetcars are back in DC. Last Friday night, after years of delays, false starts, and missed schedules, the District Department of Transportation finally laid the first of three new streetcars on the rails embedded in H St., Northeast.
The 66-foot, Czech-made car was laid down about 9:45 PM following an all-day trip on a massive flatbed from a commissioning site in Southeast DC. There are still several months of field tests and safety inspections ahead before anyone can actually board the new light-rail line, but the trial runs started almost immediately after the car arrived. The streetcar, painted in a red-and-gray livery similar to DC’s Circulator express buses, made its way from the corner of H and Fifth streets to the top of the Hopscotch Bridge behind Union Station.
The H St. line, which runs about 2.4 miles between Union Station and the Anacostia River, is the first stretch of a planned 22-mile system. DDOT recently began studying the feasibility of building a north-south line running between Navy Yard and Silver Spring. The District has already spent $161 million on the H St. line, and plans to spend at least another $400 million to eventually connect it to Georgetown.
Watch video of the streetcar rolling off its transport and onto the tracks from YouTube user Kurt Raschke:
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
DC’s First Streetcar in 50 Years Is Finally on the Tracks (Video)
Passenger service is expected to begin after several months of testing, but at least it’s here.
Fifty years after the last trolley was pulled off the roads, streetcars are back in DC. Last Friday night, after years of delays, false starts, and missed schedules, the District Department of Transportation finally laid the first of three new streetcars on the rails embedded in H St., Northeast.
The 66-foot, Czech-made car was laid down about 9:45 PM following an all-day trip on a massive flatbed from a commissioning site in Southeast DC. There are still several months of field tests and safety inspections ahead before anyone can actually board the new light-rail line, but the trial runs started almost immediately after the car arrived. The streetcar, painted in a red-and-gray livery similar to DC’s Circulator express buses, made its way from the corner of H and Fifth streets to the top of the Hopscotch Bridge behind Union Station.
The H St. line, which runs about 2.4 miles between Union Station and the Anacostia River, is the first stretch of a planned 22-mile system. DDOT recently began studying the feasibility of building a north-south line running between Navy Yard and Silver Spring. The District has already spent $161 million on the H St. line, and plans to spend at least another $400 million to eventually connect it to Georgetown.
Watch video of the streetcar rolling off its transport and onto the tracks from YouTube user Kurt Raschke:
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
Want to Search Donald Trump’s Truth Social Posts? A New Site Is Here to Help.
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
AC Problem Closes Four Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall
Epstein Files Fiasco Continues to Be Weird and Entertaining, GOP Congressman Sued Over Unpaid Rent, and Lotuses Hit Peak Bloom
I Tried to Train for American Ninja Warrior
Trump Wants to Rename Soccer, the Nationals Chose a Shortstop, and Virginians Are the US French-Fry-Eating Champions
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work