Streetcars Roll In Seattle

Seattle's long-planned South Lake Union streetcar officially began operations Wednesday.

1 minute read

December 14, 2007, 10:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"Seattle has a streetcar again."

"The 1.3-mile, $52.1 million South Lake Union line opened for business Wednesday amid speeches and pomp, ferrying hundreds back and forth between Westlake Center and the lake."

"The line, long sought by billionaire developer and Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, is designed to serve those living in thousands of new homes, several major new businesses and new development."

"Many streetcar lines once served the city, but the last of them was torn out in 1941 after years of financial decline and the advent of the automobile. A line began in 1982 along the waterfront, but that was suspended when construction of the Olympic Sculpture Park on Broad Street forced closure of the car barn. The cars were put into storage, and its future is uncertain."

Thursday, December 13, 2007 in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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