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Modern Streetcars

High-capacity transit service to transport passengers throughout the downtown area

Presentation from Modern Streetcar Public Meeting on 3/28/2013
View the proposed route alignments here. Comments are welcome.
Modern Streetcar Fact Sheet

VIA is transforming San Antonio through multimodal solutions. It’s the result of an extensive two-year public involvement effort to develop a comprehensive long-range transportation plan. Modern Streetcars are just one of six significant improvements in transit services which are scheduled for completion within the next five years.

Implementing a modern streetcar system will bring a new, stimulating development to the downtown area while facilitating transit-oriented development, improving air quality, and maximizing economic development opportunities.

Modern Streetcars are a Smart Move

• The project will offer a high-capacity transit service through the downtown area that connects with the nearby neighborhoods
• A modern streetcar system provides a clean, sustainable form of transit that promotes economic growth by improving downtown access and enhancing mobility for tourists and residents
• Modern streetcars will connect existing transit services, making them more useful and reliable while enhancing the bus services in downtown
• Improving mobility means that people will enjoy an enhanced quality of life and greater accessibility to amenities where they live, work, and play

Modern Streetcars are movement in the right direction

VIA initiatives take us where we want to go. The Public Involvement process begins this year for Modern Streetcars, and the environmental process will begin in 2013 with design and construction in subsequent years.

Key Facts

• Streetcars have a typical capacity of 30-150 people, a length of about 60 feet, and a width of about 8 feet
• The new vehicles will be electric-powered and will operate in mixed traffic (same lanes as private vehicles) with an average speed of 8-15 miles per hour
• Streetcars navigate through dense urban areas on circulator routes and take people to many points of interest
• The creation of a streetcar system will support and enhance urban-scale economic development in and near downtown
• 1.1 million riders used current streetcar services in Fiscal Year 2011 (or nearly 3,000 riders per day), and it is anticipated that a modernized system would result in a large increase in ridership

Once operational, the Modern Streetcars will enhance mobility in the heart of our community. It will allow center city growth to outpace traffic congestion and stimulate economic growth.

To read more about the background of the Modern Streetcar project visit SmartwaySA.com.