Canal Streetcar Line
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Canal-Cemeteries branch Canal-City Park/Museum branch |
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Canal Streetcar on Canal Street at Bourbon Street
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| Overview | |
| Type | Heritage streetcar |
| System | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Termini | Harrah's Casino Cemeteries or City Park |
| Services | Routes 47 and 48 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1861 (first incarnation) April 18, 2004 (current incarnation) |
| Closed | 1964 (first incarnation) |
| Owner | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Operator(s) | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Character | Runs in neutral ground (central median) along Canal Street, in traffic lanes next to the neutral ground on N. Carrollton Avenue |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 5.5 mi (8.9 km) (total) |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) |
| Electrification | Trolley wire |
The Canal Streetcar line is a historic streetcar line in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). It originally operated from 1861 to 1964. It was redesigned and rebuilt between 2000 and 2004, and operation was reinstated in 2004 after a 40-year hiatus. Primarily running along its namesake street, Canal Street, it consists of two branches named for their outer terminals, totaling about 5 1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) in length:"Canal - Cemeteries" (officially designated as Route 47) and "Canal - City Park/Museum" (officially designated as Route 48). Each branch is denoted with the red and light green colors respectively on most RTA publications.
Before the return of the line, the Canal Street corridor was served from 1964 to 2004 by several RTA bus lines utilizing the neutral ground in the Central Business District where the tracks now run.
The trunk of the Canal Streetcar line travels a direct route along Canal Street from where it begins at Convention Center Boulevard (in front of Harrah's Casino) to Carrollton Avenue where the two branches split. While it does not currently go all the way to the foot of Canal at the Mississippi River, tracks continue the two blocks to the tracks utilized by the Riverfront line. Leaving the downtown area, it mostly traverses several neighborhoods in the Mid-City portion of the city and consists of 3 miles (4.8 km) inland.
The "Cemeteries" branch continues on Canal Street past Carrollton Avenue to its terminus at Metairie Road (which continues as City Park Avenue), surrounded by several cemeteries. For much of its history, this area constituted the northern (lakeside) boundary of the city, which explains the density of cemeteries, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, in this area.
The "City Park/Museum" branch (or sometimes just "City Park") turns northward from Canal onto North Carrollton Avenue, where it runs in the inside lanes of the street rather than in the neutral ground. It is reduced to a single track at the intersection of City Park/Moss Avenues and returns to the neutral ground before it ends at Beauregard Circle, at Esplanade Avenue and Bayou St. John, near the entrance of the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park. It is within easy walking distance of the New Orleans Fairgrounds, site of the yearly Jazz and Heritage Festival.
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