Canal Streetcar Line

The Canal Streetcar Line is a streetcar line in New Orleans, Louisiana, operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). It first started running in 1861 but stopped in 1964. After many years without service, it was rebuilt and started running again in April 2004.

Today, the line runs mainly along Canal Street and has two parts. One part, called the Canal/Cemeteries branch, goes all the way from the Mississippi River to a place called the Cemeteries Transit Center. The other part, the Canal/City Park branch, goes to a terminal near the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park.

Before the streetcars returned, many buses served the same area. Now, the streetcars bring people through the busy city center where the old tracks were put back.

Route description

The Canal Streetcar line runs along Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, from Harrah's Casino to Carrollton Avenue, where it splits into two branches. One branch, called the "Cemeteries" branch, continues past Carrollton Avenue to Metairie Road, close to many cemeteries. A new loop station was added in 2018 to help passengers connect with buses more easily.

The other branch, called the "City Park/Museum" branch, turns onto North Carrollton Avenue and ends near the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park. This branch is close to the New Orleans Fairgrounds, where a big music festival happens every year.

In 2019, a building being built near Canal Street fell down. During that time, some streetcars used different streets to get around the problem. The colors and numbers for the two branches changed over the years.

History

The Canal Street Line started in 1861 with horse-drawn streetcars running on several streets in New Orleans. In 1894, it became one of the first lines in the city to switch to electric streetcars. Over the years, the route changed a few times, including a special loop called the Belt Line.

In 1964, the Canal Line stopped running streetcars and switched to buses. Many of the old streetcars were taken away, and the tracks were removed.

Interest in streetcars returned in the 1990s. In 2004, the Canal Line started running streetcars again after being closed for almost 40 years. New tracks were built, and a branch line was added on North Carrollton Avenue.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the red streetcars were damaged, so green ones were used until the red ones could be fixed. In 2017, a new terminal was built at the end of the line, making it safer for everyone.

Operation

Streetcars on the Canal Streetcar Line run about every 11 minutes most of the day on the shared part of Canal Street. On the different parts of the line, the time between streetcars is about 22 minutes.

The branch going to City Park runs from around 5:00 a.m. until midnight every day. The branch going to the Cemeteries runs all day and night, but after midnight until 5:00 a.m., streetcars come less often, about every 40 minutes. Very early in the morning, from about 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., streetcars only go between the Canal Street Ferry Terminal and Carrollton Avenue.

List of streetcar stops

From Central Business District to Mid-City