St. Charles Streetcar Line
| St. Charles Streetcar line | |
|---|---|
St. Charles Streetcar passing through New Orleans' CBD
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| Overview | |
| Type | Streetcar using heritage streetcars |
| System | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Termini | South Carrollton and South Claiborne Carondelet and Canal |
| Services | Route 12 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1835 |
| Owner | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Operator(s) | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
| Character | Runs primarily in neutral ground (central median), except street running between Howard Avenue and Canal Street |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 13.2 mi (21.2 km) |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) |
| Electrification | Trolley wire |
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St. Charles Streetcar Line
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A Perley Thomas streetcar (green) and Perley Thomas replica streetcar (red) on St. Charles Avenue, 2009.
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| Location | St. Charles Ave. route from central business district to Carrollton, New Orleans, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architectural style | Other, trolley system |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000873 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 23, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | August 25, 2014 |
The St. Charles Streetcar line is a historic streetcar line in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, as it has been in operation since 1835. It is operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Officially the St. Charles Streetcar line is internally designated as Route 12, and it runs along its namesake street, St. Charles Avenue. It is the busiest route in the RTA system as it is heavily used by local commuters and tourists. On most RTA maps and publications, it is denoted in green, which is also the color of the streetcars on this line.
The St. Charles line starts uptown, at South Carrollton Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue. It runs on South Carrollton Avenue through the Carrollton neighborhood towards the Mississippi River, then near the river levee turns on to St. Charles Avenue. It proceeds past entrances to Audubon Park, Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans, continues through Uptown New Orleans including the Garden District, and ends at Canal Street in the New Orleans Central Business District at the edge of the French Quarter, a distance of 13.2 miles (21.2 km). With the exception of Carondelet Street and the downtown portion of St. Charles where the line runs in the curbside lane, most of the line runs in the neutral ground (the median strip) with greenery between the tracks.
Planning for the line began in 1831, and work began as the New Orleans and Carrollton Rail Road in February 1833, the second railway in Greater New Orleans after the Pontchartrain Rail Road. Passenger and freight services by steam locomotives began on September 26, 1835, originally without a dedicated right-of-way (it ran on public streets), although one was eventually established in the neutral ground (the median). Service began as a suburban railroad, since Carrollton was at that time a separate city, while areas along the route were still mostly undeveloped. Two locomotives New Orleans and Carrollton were supplied from England by B. Hick and Sons.
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Wikipedia