Milwaukee streetcar begins passenger service

Milwaukee's new streetcar system opened late last week.

Known as The Hop, the roughly 2-mile system connects the city's east side to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, which is served by Amtrak and intercity buses.

The $124 million project includes five streetcar vehicles manufactured by Brookville Equipment Corp., which is building streetcars for Dallas, Oklahoma City and other cities. In November 2015, Milwaukee awarded an $18.2 million contract to Brookville for four vehicles, with an option to purchase the fifth.

Streetcars operate every 15 minutes, depending on traffic and ridership, according to The Hop's website. The system is open until midnight every day except Sunday, when it closes at 10 p.m.

To learn more about U.S. cities' streetcar projects, read this article in Progressive Railroading's September issue.