Roanoke — Trolley Study

Rail Transit Online, April 2004

A preliminary feasibility study into a proposed downtown heritage streetcar system is scheduled to begin shortly.  The Greater Roanoke Transit Authority has agreed to spend $30,000 on the assessment, which will include a conceptual analysis, route options, operational scenarios and possible funding sources.  “This is still a preliminary step to see if this is something Roanoke wants to do,” Matthew Wynn, the authority's maintenance director, told The Roanoke Times.  The plan was hatched by City Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick, a rail enthusiast who believes trolleys would help revive downtown economically and also be a tourist attraction.  Fitzpatrick believes antique trolleys could be refurbished and put in service on Jefferson Street and parts of Church, Salem or Campbell avenues. The council supports the study, which should be completed in May, but some critics contend that Roanoke has an overriding focus on the past and needs to look forward instead of backward.