Boise — Another Go at Streetcar

May 2017

The Idaho Statesman reports that Boise is taking another look at a downtown streetcar option, nine years after such a system was first proposed.

But this time there is much more thought and study that has gone into the proposal. The initial study was a hurried look but the new one follows three years of consultant work plus much input from local residents and leaders.

In that process a solid majority favored streetcars over buses. This led the mayor and city council to decide to pursue streetcars as the preferred technology for a downtown circulator.

The projected cost is $111 million, much of which would have to come from Federal sources.

Project backers are hoping the streetcar could spur economic development downtown, and become the first part of a regional rail network.