Roanoke — Streetcar Update

Rail Transit Online, February 2006

A preliminary feasibility study into a proposed downtown heritage streetcar line has been completed.  It found that a route along Jefferson Street from Railwalk to Reserve Avenue would cost about $18 million, with about $10 million of that coming from the federal government.  The cars could be refurbished antiques or replicas of the trolleys that ran in Roanoke until 1948, although the new versions would be air conditioned and handicapped accessible.  “A more in-depth study needs to be done and we are working to find state funding to pay for that information,” Vice Mayor Bev Fitzpatrick told The Roanoke Times.  Fitzpatrick, a rail enthusiast, believes trolleys would help revive downtown economically and be a tourist attraction.