Streetcars in Tacoma, Washington

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Streetcars were the primary mode of public transport in

Tacoma Link, a 4-mile (6.4 km) light rail line in Downtown Tacoma. There are proposals both to expand this system and to construct a new heritage streetcar
system.

History

Map Showing Lines of Tacoma Washington Railway and Power Company c 1907
Map of the Tacoma streetcar system in 1914

A century ago Tacoma, like many American cities, had an extensive rail transit system. The first two

streetcar
lines in Tacoma were constructed in 1888 along the lengths of Pacific Avenue and Tacoma Avenue. A pair of horses pulled each of the yellow streetcars. The lines were a success from the start, carrying many passengers, and were very soon thereafter extended. From these few lines others sprang up, each emanating from Downtown Tacoma into the surrounding areas, allowing for houses and business areas to develop.

By around 1912 the city boasted 125 miles of streetcar trackage[1] (much of it electrified) and almost 30 streetcar lines as well as an electric interurban rail connection to Seattle. Tacoma also had a simple cable car loop running from South 11th and 'A' St. to what is known now as Martin Luther King Jr. Way, down South 13th St. back to 11th and 'A'. This simple and frequent line helped to integrate trolley lines that served each street elevation. It also helped to ferry passengers up Tacoma's steep hills which assisted in integrating the eastern and western sections of Downtown Tacoma.

The streetcar lines individually had experienced many troubles over their 50-year lifetime, including many buyouts, defaults, takeovers, worker strikes and one notable tragedy. On a rainy July 4, 1900, a trolley jumped the tracks, plunging into a ravine and killing 43 passengers.

At its peak the Tacoma Railway and Power Company was transporting in the range of 30,000,000 passengers a year, a number still not reached by the modern

commuter traffic between Tacoma and Seattle via the electric Interurban fell off nearly 40%, signaling the end of the trolley era.[citation needed] The last streetcars in Tacoma ran on June 11, 1938. The day was marked by a citywide public holiday, with excursions over part of the route and a "Gay Nineties" dance at the Winthrop Hotel.[2] The system was replaced with brand new rubber tired buses that could more easily move in and out of the growing amounts of traffic in downtown. However, the system failed again and was eventually acquired by the City of Tacoma – becoming the precursor of Pierce Transit.[citation needed
]

In the mid-1990s the

Tacoma Link
light rail line, which has helped to reinvigorate local interest in streetcars in the City of Tacoma.

T Line (Tacoma Link)

Main article: T Line (Sound Transit)

The T Line (formerly known as Tacoma Link) is a 4-mile (6.4 km) light rail line located in downtown Tacoma and nearby areas. The line began in 2003 and primarily functioned to transport commuters between a combined parking garage/transit hub and the downtown core. In September 2023, the T Line was expanded to Saint Joseph Hospital via the Stadium and Hilltop districts.

Heritage streetcar

A former Tacoma Railway & Power Co. streetcar survives inside The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in downtown Tacoma.

A grassroots movement has proposed to construct a

Tacoma Link but be operationally distinct. The system would serve Downtown Tacoma, Portland Avenue, 6th Avenue, North Downtown, and the Stadium District. In 2008 a committee of the Tacoma City Council accepted the findings of feasibility study concerning this proposal, which did not include cost estimates.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cantlin, David J. (2013). "Tacoma Rail". Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 30.
  2. ^ "Life Goes to a Party". LIFE. July 11, 1938.
  3. ^ "City Council committee onboard with streetcar feasibility results". pnwlocalnews.com. April 25, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
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