Fort Worth — Streetcar Suggested Again

Rail Transit Online, June 2008

City officials may be willing to take a second look at a downtown streetcar system. The Fort Worth Central City Redevelopment Committee and the city's Planning and Development Department have asked the city council to appoint a 15-member committee to study the idea's feasibility.

The group would re-examine a $1-million study completed six years ago that called for a 7.6-mi. (12.2 km), $165-million streetcar route; the proposal died for lack of funding. The committee would visit cities that already have modern streetcars, such as Portland, then examine possible routes in Fort Worth, estimate the cost and identify funding sources.

If the council agrees to appoint the committee by the end of June, as expected, a report could be ready by December of this year. So far, the proposal has been generating strong support from both civic leaders and elected officials.