Riverfront Streetcar Line

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with the Riverfront Loop streetcar line in Memphis, Tennessee.
Riverfront
standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 600 V DC
Route map

Legend
 French Market
Ursulines Street
Dumaine Street
Toulouse Street
Bienville Street
Canal Street
Route 3 to Convention Center (closed)
 Harrah's Casino
47 48
 Peters Street
Magazine/Decatur
Camp/Chartres
St. Charles/Royal
Carondelet/Bourbon
Baronne/Dauphine
Route 49 to Elysian Fields (closed)
 Rampart
47 48 Canal Streetcar Line
 Poydras Street
Hyatt Regency
Julia Street
Union Passenger Terminal (UPT)
Amtrak Greyhound Lines
Normal routing (closed)
 French Market
Ursulines Street
Dumaine Street
Toulouse Street
Bienville Street
Canal Street
47 48 Canal Street Ferry
to depot via Canal St
 Poydras Street
Julia Street
John Churchill Chase
This diagram:

The Riverfront Streetcar Line is a historic

broad gauge
. Officially, the Riverfront Line is designated Route 2 and is designated with a blue color on most RTA publications.

History

Melbourne, Australia
. It was the city's first accessible streetcar line, using the Melbourne cars; the historic landmark status of the Saint Charles route prevented the modification of the cars on that line.

From the time it opened in 1988, the Riverfront line was originally

passing siding. But the line proved to be so popular that this was inadequate, so in 1990, it was temporarily closed and a second track was added. At the same time, another repurchased Perley Thomas streetcar and another ex-Melbourne streetcar were added to the fleet. The six cars in the fleet were all renumbered into a common series before entering service, with the three original New Orleans (Perley Thomas) cars being numbered 450, 451, and 456 (ex-924, 919, and 952, in that order).[3] The W2-type cars were numbered 452, 454, and 455 for Riverfront service, and were formerly Melbourne cars 626, 478, and 331, respectively.[1]

By 1997, RTA felt the need for additional wheelchair access on the Riverfront line. It was decided to build new streetcars, which would be replicas of the venerable

ČKD Tatra.[7]

At the same time, it was decided to

5 ft 2+1⁄2 in
or 1,588 mm) to conform to the St. Charles track gauge, and to build a connecting track on Canal Street from St. Charles to Riverfront. This would make it much easier to service Riverfront cars at Carrollton Station, and they could even be housed at Carrollton rather than out in the open at the ends of the Riverfront line.

The last day of standard gauge operation of Riverfront was September 6, 1997,

Perley Thomas cars and the three ex-Melbourne cars were retired at this time. The ex-Melbourne cars were sold to the Memphis Area Transit Authority, for use on that city's Main Street Trolley line.[8] One of the Perley Thomas cars was sent to the San Francisco Municipal Railway, and the other two were stored at Carrollton Station. The Riverfront line reopened on December 13, 1997,[6]
with the new cars running on the broad-gauge track.

Operation

The Riverfront Streetcar normally operates 24 hours a day. Frequencies range from 20 minutes 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., to 40 minutes nightly after 10 p.m.[9]

Because of complaints regarding infrequency of service on the Riverfront line, NORTA has installed LCD screens at each of the stops along the route to show approximate incoming times in each direction, as well as an animated display showing destinations and stops in both directions along the line. These times have often proven inaccurate due to fluctuations in the time required to traverse the track length.

Due to construction on the World Trade Center building, service is suspended between Canal Street and the Julia Street end of the Riverfront line.[10]

On October 12, 2019, a building under construction at the corner of Canal Street and N. Rampart Street collapsed, blocking the Canal line (see Hard Rock hotel collapse). For a while, the Riverfront line provided service on Canal Street through the business district, operating from the French Market terminal to Canal Street, then out Canal to Carondelet Street.[11]

Currently, the operable portion of the Riverfront line is combined with the operable portion of the Rampart-St. Claude line as Route 49. From the French Market terminal, it runs to Canal Street, then out Canal to University Place (Loyola Avenue), and out Loyola to the terminal at UPT.[12]

Stop listing

Typical streetcar station design throughout the Riverfront line

From the French Quarter to the Convention Center area

Stop Neighborhood(s) Other streetcar lines Notes
French Market French Quarter Near the intersection of Peters Street and Esplanade Avenue.
Serves French Market and New Orleans Mint.
Ursulines Street French Quarter Serves French Market.
Dumaine Street French Quarter Serves Jackson Square, Preservation Hall, St. Louis Cathedral and Woldenberg Park.
Toulouse Street French Quarter Serves
Jax Brewery
and Woldenberg Park.
Bienville Street French Quarter Serves Woldenberg Park.
Canal Street Downtown, Central Business District, French Quarter 47 48 Connects with
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Harrah's Casino, Woldenberg Park, and World Trade Center
.
Poydras Street Downtown, Central Business District Serves The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk.
Julia Street Downtown, Central Business District Serves Port of New Orleans, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, and Morial Convention Center.
John Churchill Chase Central Business District Serves Morial Convention Center.
Named for John Churchill Chase.

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 1048-3845
    . Retrieved 2014-12-08.
  2. ^ "APTA Streetcar and Heritage Trolley Site - New Orleans Overview". American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  3. ISSN 0160-6913
    .
  4. ^ Lietwiler, C. J. (December 2004). "New Orleans: Streetcars return to Canal Street". Tramways & Urban Transit. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association. pp. 452–456.
  5. Light Rail and Modern Tramway
    . Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association. pp. 422–425.
  6. ^ a b "Systems News" section, Tramways & Urban Transit magazine, February 1998, p. 79.
  7. ^ Korbel, Viktor (November 1999). "T6C5: A Czech tram for North America". Tramways & Urban Transit. Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association. p. 408.
  8. ^
    ISSN 1048-3845
    . Retrieved 2014-12-08.
  9. ^ "New Orleans RTA". New Orleans RTA. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Evans, Beau. "Streetcars to run all night along Canal Street, Riverfront". Nola.com - The Times Picayune. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "New Orleans RTA". New Orleans RTA. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority". New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved August 3, 2022.

External links

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