The Unlikely Rebirth of the Streetcar in America
An early form of mass transit is making a surprising comeback
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 North America were virtually extinct by the 1950s, with a few notable exceptions. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for example, not only kept its streetcar system running but purchased cars from U.S. cities no longer using them.
Electric cars may be currently popular, but the “original” electric cars were in fact streetcars. So what really caused the death of the American streetcar — and why is it making a comeback today?
The early years
In Wales, UK, a horse-drawn tram first started operating as early as 1807. Tramways came to the European continent in 1839. Europe had the right idea: Nowadays, several European cities continue to rely on trams for efficient, affordable mass transportation.
In 1832, America’s first streetcar service in New York City was operated on rails and pulled by horses or mules. The oldest continuously operating streetcar system is considered to be the one in…
