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There’s something about the green and yellow car that stands out among the bustle of people and trolleys, even from a distance.
Maybe it's because it’s much taller than the other cars on River Street in Savannah, or maybe it's the flashing white lights on the front.
But most likely, the vehicle stands out because it's been more than 60 years since a streetcar has run in the capital of the Coastal Empire.
Savannah has quietly become the first city in Georgia to re-launch the streetcar. City officials say the service marks another first: it’s the only hybrid biodiesel streetcar of its kind in North America. The car gains half of its fuel from recycled vegetable cooking oil, and does not use an overhead wire.
Savannah has re-introduced streetcar service on a 1-mile stretch along the riverfront that cuts through the heart of the tourist area. The 1925 re-conditioned streetcar stops at hotels and other attractions, and links tourists and convention-goers to ferries and downtown bus service.
While Augusta is studying the feasibility of launching a streetcar, the most prominent mention of streetcars in Georgia has been part of proposed transit projects in Atlanta, including the ambitious redevelopment of the Beltline train loop that circles the city. Given the state's record on mass transit, Savannah may remain the only city in Georgia with streetcar service for a long time to come. But Savannah officials hope other cities across the state will follow suit.
While only a handful of cities in the U.S. currently use streetcars for mass transit, about three dozen have plans to introduce the service. The streetcar system in Portland, Ore., which was launched in 2001, is perhaps the most successful. Some of the cities that have incorporated streetcars – including Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn. and Kenosha, Wis. – weren’t known as mass transit hubs, but have found the service provides an economic boost, and improves the flow of people in their downtowns.
Savannah revived the streetcar because officials believed the congestion on River Street near the conference center may have cost the city convention business. Three months after the introduction of the service, city officials are already discussing a possible expansion of the system.
"Areas along streetcar routes thrive," said Jay Self, director of Savannah’s tourism and film services department. “I don’t know anyone who thinks the streetcar is a bad idea now that they’ve seen it run.”
Savannah officials are quick to call the current system a demonstration model. The service, which began in February, runs through a tiny portion of the historic district, and only operates five days a week. So far, the roughly 5,000 passengers who ride it each month are almost completely visitors rather than residents.
But city officials say the re-introduction of the streetcar has intrigued residents and visitors alike.
“It’s been so long since street cars ran that people did not know what to make of it,” said Sean Brandon, director of Savannah’s parking division.
City officials are looking at a possible expansion of the system to Fahm St., where it would pass the visitors center and the Greyhound bus station.
Brandon said other cities in Georgia should at least take a look at streetcar technology, because he said “every town and city has tracks sitting somewhere.”
But arguably what sets Savannah apart is that the 1-mile track currently in use was almost completely intact – subsequent development had not paved over it. In 2004, Savannah bought the rails from Norfolk Southern, which had operated a heavy freight line on the route until the late 1980s.
In Atlanta, where discussion of streetcars stretches back years, bits of old track peek out from asphalt or kudzu all over the city. Like many cities in Georgia and the U.S., Atlanta once had multiple streetcar lines in operation. There were also streetcars in Brunswick, Rome and Athens, among other places.
The streetcar is one of two transportation modes under consideration by the organization behind the Beltline, which is in the process of redeveloping a 22-mile rail corridor that circles Atlanta. The Beltline is also considering light-rail.
Separately, the city of Atlanta also launched a taskforce to look into the introduction of streetcars to Peachtree Street, the main commercial corridor in the city. The taskforce, which presented its findings last year, was the result of two years of research and discussion by the non-profit Peachtree Corridor Partnership.
Because of budget shortfalls, the project is currently on hold, said Rebecca Wallace, a consultant who worked for the city.
“It is now just a project on a list of many,” Wallace said.
Glenn Kurtz, a vice president at Lanier Parking and a member of the partnership, said research shows streetcar service fostered additional economic investment along the routes. He also said residents are more receptive to streetcars because they operate on a fixed route and make more frequent stops.
Officials at Lanier Parking, which manages parking lots in Atlanta, were an instrumental part of the Peachtree Corridor Partnership because a parking tax has been floated as a financing mechanism for the streetcar. Indeed, it’s not unusual for parking organizations to be involved in streetcar operations; Savannah’s parking division regulates the streetcar in addition to managing parking lots.
Kurtz said it’s a logical fit because urban congestion is hampering people’s ability to access and use parking garages effectively.
“People say to us, ‘Don’t you want more parking?’ There’s enough parking. We are successful,” Kurtz said. “We are not threatened by everyone getting out of their cars. We are more threatened by congestion.”
Back in Savannah, tourists eyed the streetcar with curiosity on a recent warm Saturday afternoon. Weaving his way through dense River Street traffic, conductor Ricky Lovett leaned out the window to entice visitors to climb aboard. Soon, a middle-aged couple boarded the car. Then a family with two little girls in gingham dresses and a baby in a stroller got on.
The spotless wood-paneled vehicle steadily pushed its way down River Street, providing passengers with a priceless view of the river and a respite from the crush of crowds.
“They love it, especially kids,” Lovett said. “Sometimes their parents have to drag them off.”
Savannah streetcar at a glance:
What: Savannah recently launched streetcar service on a 1-mile route that runs along River Street.
Equipment: A re-conditioned 1925 W5 Melbourne streetcar that has the only hybrid biodiesel engine of its kind in North America.
Cost of project: $1 million to buy the rail tracks from Norfolk Southern; about $400,000 to overhaul the streetcar (including converting it to biodiesel) and $30,000 for track adjustments
Hours of operation: Wed. – Sun., noon to 7 p.m.
Fare: Free; the city uses parking revenue to fund the service.
Source: City of Savannah
Jeanne Bonner is the senior business writer at Georgia Online News Service. [full bio]
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