Toronto web site talks Detroit's return to light rail

Detroit's continued push toward light rapid transit seems to be in step with the mindset of the nation. Could a kind of streetcar renaissance begin right here in Detroit?

Excerpt:

The proposed site for the light rail line along Woodward Avenue was actually the route of Detroit’s last streetcar, which was removed in 1956 only to be replaced by diesel buses.  That ended 93 years of streetcar service that at one point was operating over 2,800 vehicles.

Detroit transit hit its peak annual ridership of 492 million rides in 1945. Sixty-five years later, that number is now reduced to less than one hundred million.  In this context, Detroit’s renewed interest in rail-based public transportation follows a nationwide trend that is emblematic of what one American blogger has called ‘America’s Streetcar Renaissance.’

Read the entire article here.

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