The Unlikely Rebirth of the Streetcar in America

An early form of mass transit is making a surprising comeback

Disembarking from a Toronto streetcar in 1928. Alfred Pearson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Streetcars — also known as trams or trolleys — were the most common form of urban mass transit in North America before the advent of the automobile. The rail-based streetcar was popular well into the 1920s, but its use began to dwindle over the next few decades. Streetcars in…