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NYC Streetcar Project

Overview

New York City has one of the finest subways in the world. But the subway is overloaded, and there are significant parts of the city that the existing network doesn't serve well. The only existing alternative is the bus system, which is slow and unreliable. We feel that NYC can benefit from improved surface transit in the form of streetcars, which are faster, quieter, cleaner, and generally more pleasant than buses. A system of street railways be used to transport not just passengers but freight as well, taking trucks off the road.

But first, we need to get just one streetcar line built, whether by convincing the city to do it, or by doing it ourselves. The now-defunct Brooklyn Historical Railway Association attempted to build a streetcar line in Red Hook, but failed largely for organizational reasons. I think a better corridor to demonstrate the usefulness of streetcars is Grand Street ­ in Manhattan, which currently has no transit service at all.

Goals

• A citywide network of streetcar lines, running on dedicated lanes where possible
• ­An efficient and effective alternative to the subway for trips that are not served well by the subway
• An alternative to trucks for freight transportation

Planning

Links

coming soon

Pictures

coming soon

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