Lately we've been hearing a lot of talk about the DC Streetcar. I love public transportation and I look forward to (someday) having another option around. GreaterGreater Washington Blog has a lot of information about the storied history of public transit in DC but I find that Wikipedia does a nice job too.
Washington, DC used Streetcars for about 100 years, from 1862-1962. They started out horse drawn then they experimented with cable cars before going to a fully electrified system. Lines were owned by various companies before the "Great Streetcar Consolidation" in 1933, effectively creating Capital Transit. Not long after that, they began to scale back because of the popularity of the automobile and a strike in 1955 the company changed ownership to become DC Transit with very explicit instructions to switch to buses and by 1962 the lines were dismantled.
By 2012, fifty years after we demolished the old system, we should start to see service on our new, modern Streetcar lines to supplement our Metro and Metro Bus system. I'm looking forward to hearing the "ding ding" as the cars arrive (I hope they "ding ding") and the ability to get around the city in a new and hopefully improved way.
Before we start fresh, I encourage you to take a look at the history of Capital Transit and enjoy some of the older pictures our city. DC is constantly changing, mostly for the better, but it's always interesting to look back at where we used to be and the funny way history has of repeating itself. Plus, in the old days, the Capital Transit passes were their own little pieces of artwork, there is an entire website devoted to them!
Links:
Capital Transit Weekly Passes
Streetcars in Washington, DC
DDOT Streetcar Plan
GreaterGreater Washington
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