The Canal Streetcar Line

For more than 200 years, Canal Street has been a vital thoroughfare for New Orleans transit. Mule-drawn carriages served as the first public transit along Canal Street in the 1860s, with electric streetcars dominating the line by the 1890s. By 1910, streetcars were running the length of Canal Street and beyond into growing suburbs. But as the years went on, buses slowly replaced streetcars on the Canal line, and in May 1964, streetcars were completely removed from Canal Street.

After almost forty years, the Canal streetcars returned to the line on April 18^th, 2004, and the line now runs over five and a half miles from the Mississippi River to City Park Avenue with a spur along North Carrollton Avenue.

The Canal streetcar line is expected to carry more than 31,000 riders each day by 2015, bringing local residents to work and play downtown and tourists to the many shops, restaurants, art galleries and entertainment venues in historic Mid-City.

The Canal streetcar line includes a fleet of 24 new streetcars, which were constructed from the wheels up by a special team of RTA blacksmiths, carpenters, electricians and mechanics. The streetcars’ design resembles the original Perley Thomas models, which are still in use on the St. Charles streetcar line.

A streetcar ride along St. Charles Avenue is a journey into the history of New Orleans. In 1835, the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad began operation of the St. Charles streetcar line, then called the Carrollton line. Steam-powered cars traveled from Canal Street through several “faubourgs” or suburbs in the resort town of Carrollton.

Shortly after the Civil War, ex-confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard leased the N.O. & R.R. and did away with the steam locomotives, reverting to horse power. The horse-drawn streetcars, though inefficient, provided a quieter citywide network of transportation. Horse-drawn streetcars lasted for more than 20 years, despite attempts to replace them with technology such as ammonia powered engines, steam dummy engines, cables and electric batteries.

Finally in 1893, the first cars that used overhead electricity went into operation. The new electric cars were built by the St. Louis Car Company, and a gala celebration marked the installation of the system, which continues to serve the streetcar line today.

The St. Charles line was named into the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1984, the line was declared a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

Inaugurated August 14^th, 1988, the Riverfront streetcar line was the first to open in New Orleans since 1926, when more than 200 miles of street railway crisscrossed the city. Long a dream of developers, business people and streetcar enthusiasts, the Riverfront streetcar was the first major capital project in New Orleans to combine the resources of the city’s public and private sectors.

The concept was to develop 1.5 miles of the existing Public Belt Railroad corridor. The new line tied together the commercial developments in the Warehouse District, a legacy of the 1894 World’s Fair, to the developments along the riverfront in the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny.

Within months of the line opening, it was evident that demand far exceeded capacity. In order to handle the crowds of locals, conventioneers and other visitors, the FTA approved the extension of the line another ½ mile and the addition of three more streetcars to the line, bringing the total Riverfront fleet to seven streetcars.

Today the Riverfront line is a major attraction to visitors who want to enjoy shopping in the French Market and the many shops along the riverfront. In addition, the line serves the Aquarium of the Americas, Riverwalk Shopping Center and the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center.

That’s the title of the Tennessee Williams play almost everyone has seen or heard about, and a line that may one day be resurrected, based on need, public support and funding, according to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. Visit www.norta.com to find out more about the history of the Desire line and status of the Desire Streetcar Line Revitalization Project.

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority proudly operates its streetcars 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The schedule changes three times a year, and riders can plan by calling the RTA RideLine at 504-248-3900 or visiting www.norta.com for the latest schedules. Fares are $1.25 for a one-way ride, and a $5.00 day pass for unlimited rides is available on any RTA bus or streetcar. VisiTour passes are also available and are $5.00 for a one-day pass and $12.00 for a three-day pass. Call the RideLine or visit the Website for a list of VisiTour vendors.

Beth Branley and Rosalind Cook of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority are excellent resources for interviews, fact sheets, news releases, historical data, archived news stories, photos and statistics. Contact Beth at bbranley@norta.com or 504/248-3777 and Rosalind at rcook@norta.com or 504/248-3759. You can also find more streetcar history at www.neworleanscvb.com