Huntington — Downtown Trolley Proposed

Rail Transit Online, January 2005

The nonprofit Huntington Electric Trolley Association, a self-described group of “trolley people,” have proposed building a short heritage streetcar line down 4th Avenue to help revitalize the downtown area.  The single-track, approximately 4,000-ft. (1,219 meter) route would serve virtually the entire city core, initially linking Hal Greer Boulevard and 8th Street utilizing one replica car.  A preliminary study conducted by the association estimates the capital cost at a little under $2.9 million, including a small maintenance facility located at the existing bus yard of the local public transportation agency, aptly named The Transit Authority.  Estimated operating costs are based on similar systems in other cities and would exceed fare revenue by up to $311,000 annually, depending on the hours of service operated.  The association proposes 15-min. headways from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a 50-cent fare.  However, all of the figures would have to be verified by further consultant studies. 

“We’re not a bunch of out-of-town experts,” association member Sam St. Clair told The Herald-Dispatch.  “We’re just trolley people who want to see this idea become a reality.  It would bring a lot of fun and creativity to the downtown and create a conduit for commerce along 4th Avenue.”  St. Clair said his group will try to build local political and business community support for the streetcar, the capital costs of which would have to be primarily financed by the federal government.  “We need the city and The Transit Authority (TTA) to jump on board,” St. Clair told The Herald-Dispatch.  Mayor David Felinton has said he would support the project but TTA General Manager Vickie Shaffer said her agency has no spare funds.  “I know that The Transit Authority certainly wouldn’t have any money to build a streetcar line and operate it under its current funding structure,” Shaffer told The Herald-Dispatch.  “By no means am I opposed to it.  It’s a wonderful idea, but I know there is a lot of devil in the details.”   Electric streetcars ran in Huntington between 1889 and 1937.

Web site: www.huntingtontrolley.com/