"Streetcar" refers to local public transportation using electric vehicles that run on rails. Streetcars are designed to provide short-trip urban circulation, and the vehicles and infrastructure are optimized accordingly. The streetcar alignment can be located in shared traffic lanes or on a segregated right-of-way if one is available. Vehicles typically consist of a single car, ranging from restored heritage cars to modern streetcars imported from Europe. Streetcar systems come in all sizes and so do the organizations that run them- ranging from small non-profits to large municipal transit agencies.

Streetcars are part of the ongoing renaissance which is bringing new life to America's urban centers; as more and more Americans return to the city, the need for new urban transportation solutions grows ever more important. Transportation is the key to creating great public places- and cities across the country are taking a new look at an old idea, the city streetcar. Whether the streetcar is heritage or modern, the goal of helping build livable communities remains the same.

» Why Build A Modern Streetcar System?

• Simply put, a streetcar is a one-car train operating on steel rails embedded in the street and powered by electricity from overhead wires.
• The modern streetcar complements other conventional modes such as commuter rail,light rail and buses which primarily serve longer-haul travel from outlying areas to employment centers.
• Streetcars primarily function as urban circulators and pedestrian accelerators, supporting walkable urbanism within downtown and adjoining neighborhoods. One measure of a streetcar’s success is that it causes people to travel less – to work, live, shop and play in a smaller geographic area.
• Modern streetcars hold about 130 people. Because the journeys are short – maybe a mile on average – most people stand.
• Streetcars run in mixed traffic and stop for traffic signals at intersections just as cars do.
• Modern streetcars have an operator cab at each end of the car so the vehicle doesn’t have to be turned around at the end of the line. The operator simply walks to the other end of the streetcar and drives it in the opposite direction.
• Modern streetcars are scaled to be compatible with an urban design - about sixty-six feet long and a little over eight feet wide.
• Modern streetcar track designs provide minimal disruption to adjacent pavement and existing utilities.
• The typical streetcar design consists of an eight-foot wide concrete slab with embedded rails. It takes about a month to build one city block of track.
• A majority of the track construction can be performed while maintaining traffic in adjacent lanes.
• The top speed of a modern streetcar is a little less than 45 mph but they seldom operate above 25 mph because streetcars travel with the speed of traffic – about 8 to 12 mph in downtown.
• Modern streetcars are entirely accessible to persons with disabilities.