Tacoma, WA
On August 22, 2003 Tacoma opened its new downtown streetcar circulator called
Tacoma link. It is
similar to the downtown streetcar line in Portland, which was the first new
generation streetcar line equipped with modern streetcars in the country.
Tacoma's line connects the
commuter rail station and Tacoma Dome with downtown, using modern Czech-built Skoda
streetcars, as used in Portland. The line cost $81 million and is 1.6 miles long
with 3 cars and an operating and maintenance facility. Initial ridership has
exceeded expectations averaging 2,400 riders/day by late 2003. The pre-opening
forecast had been for 2,000 riders daily by 2006. Planning is underway
for extensions to the system using either modern or heritage equipment..
The following photos were taken during the APTA Heritage Trolley and
Streetcar Task Force visit to Tacoma in November, 2003:
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| The Tacoma Dome stop at the southern end of the line is adjacent to the commuter rail station and parking garages. |
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| In central Tacoma, the line operates on a slightly raised reservation separated from traffic. |
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| Theater spotlights above the station shelter confirm that this is the Theater District stop at the northern terminus. |
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| The line is only single track for the first several blocks after leaving the southern terminus. |
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| The maintenance facility, which houses the initial fleet of three cars, is several blocks beyond the southern terminus. |
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| Inside the O&M facility, a second floor platform allows easy access to roof mounted equipment. |
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| The low floor center section of the car is separated from the high floor end sections by two steps. |
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The following news notes give an overview of the evolution of this project, its operating experience,
and plans for expansion:
The following links are to websites describing the Tacoma Link streetcar
and plans for heritage streetcars in the city:
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