Milwaukee’s First Streetcar Arrives Downtown

The first Milwaukee streetcar has arrived in the city’s downtown and supporters of the more than $128 million project hope it will complement downtown development.

The first phase of the streetcar, dubbed “The Hop,” will run a 2-mile route into the city’s near east side. There’s also a planned lakefront line. The project is funded through both federal and local funds.

The project has been met with opposition from Milwaukee politicians, residents and think tanks for years.

An October poll by Marquette University Law School found 69 percent of Milwaukee-area residents thought the project was too expensive.

Still, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he senses growing support.

“What we sense is that there’s growing support for this as people recognize the reality of this and how competitive this puts Milwaukee with other metropolitan areas,” Barrett said.

A $10 million sponsorship by the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino will make the first year free for all riders.

Rodney Ferguson, CEO of the casino, said the fixed transit system will make the city more competitive for event bids like the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

But that’s not enough to win over Randal O’Toole, who studies transportation issues with the libertarian Cato Institute.

“What you have is a high cost, low capacity, slow transit system that will actually increase congestion by more than the few cars it takes off the road,” O’Toole said.

He said streetcars are outdated technology superseded by buses decades ago.

“Cities are making stupid decisions and other cities are following saying, ‘We have to be just as stupid as they are,’” said O’Toole.

Stephania Sampson Taylor watched the delivery of the first streetcar with her two daughters after being blocked in a nearby garage to make room for the flatbed carrying the 67-foot long car. Sampson Taylor doesn’t live along the streetcar’s initial route, but said she is excited nonetheless.

“It’s bringing something to downtown,” she said. “We need something more to invite people to our city and I think this will help — the trolley — and make our city worth coming to.”

Barrett said the streetcar will have to go through final assembly and testing required to meet federal regulations, but it could be ready as early as November. He and others hope to be able to add more service lines in the future.