Streetcar named Broadway

The Times' Cara Di Massa looks at the effort to revive downtown L.A.'s Broadway with a new streetcar. Bring Back Broadway, the group spearheading the effort, described the Broadway street car this way:

The City, CRA and Metro are studying the feasibility of reviving the beloved downtown streetcar and using it to connect Broadway to downtown’s newer attractions, such as Grand Avenue or L.A. Live. The streetcar long-served as a popular mode of transportation along Broadway until 1961. Reviving the streetcar is a plan that has widespread City and community support, and the Coalition of Trustees will include anactive streetcar sub-Committee. As has been the case in other west coast cities, suchas San Diego, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, the streetcar will once again roll down Broadway, linking our past to our revitalized future. Three options have been identified for routes connecting broadway, Grand Avenue, L.A. Live and other points of interest downtown. The next phase will be to determine the single preferred streetcar route, and begin the environmental work which will be necessary to determine the best and most feasible plan.

Comments

[Michael Ballard]

Yellow Cars (Los Angeles Railway) did run on Broadway. The tracks are still there, in places, between 1st and 3rd. The center asphalt was designed for future streetcar tracks, that was in 2001. I hope that they do go forward with a streetcar plan, but, not new ones. I would be quite happy with either reproductions or the original PCC's or LARy streetcars. Los Angeles has a lot of history with streetcars and interurbans, it was they that built the region into the sprawling urban center it is today. Commuting by train isn't new, people were taking the train from North Hollywood to Los Angeles in 1911.

[John M.]

Look at the Portland (OR) Streetcar - not the MAX system - for a system with a scale appropriate to Broadway. The last thing that Los Angeles needs is cars jammed up behind streetcars. If you want to experience streetcars and traffic flow on narrow streets, go visit Philadelphia or Boston.

And didn't we learn anything from the 1970s-era "urban renewal" period? Residents of the city lost a lot by tearing down beautiful, historic structures in the name of "progress" and replacing them with travesties like the Los Angeles World Trade Center, a building without a street-level entrance.

Enhance Broadway, but don't make fundamental changes to it.

[JP]

Fantastic idea. I look forward to this.

I was just in Denver and they have something similar along 16th street. No cars allowed. Very ped friendly, and you can also hop on the free bus which stops at every block.

[Scott Mercer]

The Yellow Cars were narrow gauge. I think we'd be better off with standard gauge rail cars, since nobody, or almost nobody, makes narrow gauge equipment and parts anymore. We need to make it compatible with (connecting with) the Blue Line along Flower Street, also, including the eventual Downtown Connector. This could easily be done.

These streetcars will NOT be as big as the Blue Line trains. The PCC style cars of old were much smaller than even our current smallest city buses. We could have streetcars that small again, only slightly bigger than a DASH bus. And they could potentially run on the Blue Line tracks along Flower and Washington, or the future line on Exposition Blvd. Perhaps small streetcars could be run during "off-peak" hours.

We are not stuck with old-style Red Car type vintage reproduction cars, as shown in the picture. There are new style sleek cars being made, both in Europe and in the USA, by a new company, Oregon Iron Works, which has been formed to build new streetcars for Portland Oregon. That company should be looked into as an option for providing equipment for this streetcar line.

[Marc Caldwell]

Does it mean Broadway will be mallified, looking more like 3rd Street Promenade or Old Town Pasadena?

I've been a visitor to Broadway for over 20 years and now reside nearby on Spring Street in the revitalizing Alexandria. So I am all for Broadway becoming a restored and utilized section of Los Angeles. I'm just concerned that for the powers that be, their idea of progress means redevelopment like we've seen in Santa Monica and Pasadena.

Unique businesses bring about a unique city--this uniqueness is gone from 3rd Street Promenade and Old Town.

[Marc Caldwell]

Does it mean Broadway will be mallified, looking more like 3rd Street Promenade or Old Town Pasadena?

I've been a visitor to Broadway for over 20 years and now reside nearby on Spring Street in the revitalizing Alexandria. So I am all for Broadway becoming a restored and utilized section of Los Angeles. I'm just concerned that for the powers that be, their idea of progress means redevelopment like we've seen in Santa Monica and Pasadena.

Unique businesses bring about a unique city--this uniqueness is gone from 3rd Street Promenade and Old Town.

[Alek F]

Great idea!!
yes, Broadway definitely needs streetcars. It will enhance our downtown's appearance, improve our social lives, and will improve our air quality (by removing cars and putting electric-based streetcars instead).
I totally salute the idea!

[Paul]

I can't believe they're wasting money on this at a time when we have a $15 billion deficit.

[Tom A.]

Neat idea. The rendering shows the Red Cars, which ran on standard gauge rails mostly between cities and towns back in the day, but the Yellow Cars, which ran on narrow gauge tracks and ran almost exclusively within L.A. city limits, might be better suited for running on Downtown streets and making 90-degree turns, as they used to do. It'll be interesting to see which system they choose to replicate, if and when this happens.