Georgetown students making the trek down to H Street NE in the past few weeks likely witnessed D.C.’s latest transit project in action—one that looks straight out of the 19th century. Streetcars, which ran throughout the District from 1862 to 1962, are once again being deployed along the route from Union Station to the Anacostia River. The project, however, represents profoundly misguided—as well as fiscally irresponsible—decision-making on the part of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
The new streetcars run exclusively along a 2.2-mile stretch also serviced by the X2 bus, which additionally covers destinations across the Anacostia and west of Union Station. This makes the new streetcar more like an anachronism than a form of dependable public transportation. Riders can travel up and down the H Street-Benning Road corridor all they want, but to get anywhere farther along the same route they will have to take the bus.
Commuters represent municipal transit infrastructure’s largest customer base. According to a study from the American Public Transportation Association, work commuters account for 59.2 percent of total transit trips taken. This streetcar system, with limited range and subject to street-level traffic, will be passed over by most commuters in favor of more practical modes of transport. According to a recent article in The Economist, bus systems are cheaper to build, operate, and ride than streetcars. They also have a carrying capacity that is five times greater per hour, and are more attractive to commuters and the economically disenfranchised.
Streetcars have made a comeback in the U.S. in recent years because of federal subsidies for small municipal transportation projects, with lines opening in decidedly non-transit-oriented cities, such as Tampa, Fl, Salt Lake City, Ut, and Dallas, Tx. But none of the 11 major U.S. streetcar systems examined in a recent study by CityLab, an affiliate of The Atlantic, consistently ran every 15 minutes throughout the day. This time frame is considered the absolute minimum standard for convenient transit—in New York City, for instance, subway trains run every two to five minutes during rush hour. D.C.’s fledgling project is unlikely to perform any better than those already running across the country—and when commuters are the target audience, efficiency is key.
Finally, the project has levied a burdensome cost on both riders and taxpayers. Although fares have yet to be announced, given the streetcars’ limitations it is unreasonable to expect anyone to pay a fare close to that of a bus. The line’s construction has already cost $135 million—money that could have been better spent improving the District’s schools or expanding the frequency of service on the Metro’s troubled Blue Line.
Necessities persist in Washington, D.C. that need to be addressed. Streetcars—expensive, unlikely to turn a profit, and redundant in terms of service—are an unaffordable luxury.
