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Georgia Vintage Trolley Systems |
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| Savannah |
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| River St. Trolley | ||||||||||||||||||
| Began Operation: proposed | ||||||||||||||||||
| Miles of Line: tbd | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stations: in planning | ||||||||||||||||||
| Org: in planning | ||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule: in planning | ||||||||||||||||||
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John Smatlak photo |
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Streetcars last plied the streets of this famous Southern port city in 1946. A plan is now unfolding that will bring the streetcar back as an urban circulator and tourist attraction. Following a lengthy negotiation, the City purchased a lightly used 4.3 mile railroad branch line paralleling the Savannah River near Downtown. Much of the line runs in-street on River Street along the Savannah River, including a section of trackage in cobblestone pavement passing directly through a bustling entertainment district. An initial demonstrator line is planned to begin operation along this segment in 2007 using an Australian W-5 streetcar that the City acquired in 2000. The Savannah streetcar concept has been brewing for some time. In 2003, the local public transportation provider, Chatham Area Transit (CAT), proposed restoration of streetcar service on a four-mile line along River Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Goals for the proposed system included aiding visitor mobility within the downtown and riverfront areas, reducing congestion in the city's historic district, and helping foster local economic development. A feasibility study was conducted by Team Inc. and Stone Consulting & Design, including an examination of several different route options. All of the proposed routes incorporated the trackage along River St. With the sale of the trackage to the City, plans once again began moving ahead, and it is hoped to begin demonstration service on River St. in 2007.
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