New Orleans — Streetcar Update

Rail Transit Online, September 2004  

The new Canal Street trolley line has been a success from a ridership standpoint, attracting 260,000 more passengers (along with two parallel express bus lines) during May, June and July than buses alone during the same months in 2003.  The achievement has come despite some nagging problems with the streetcars including poor schedule adherence because of crowds waiting to board, slow wheelchair access and the inability of fare collection equipment to quickly digest dollar bills.  New timetables have been developed to make operations more consistent and realistic, according to RTA Deputy General Manager for Operations Gerald Robichaux, and the transit agency is working on a fix for the fare machines.  “We are looking at installing a vending machine that can actually read the bill when it comes into box instead of just accepting it,” Robichaux told the Times-Picayune.  “We are also looking at installing more machines that would sell tokens to riders.”  Robichaux notes that the bright red streetcars have improved the environment and the character of Canal Street.   “It has…helped with the ambiance of the street and to enhance our downtown,” he told the Times-Picayune.  “The downtowns that have recently come alive again, most of them have some rail or streetcar system that complements the downtown area.”