advertisement

---

This week, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) launched service on a portion of the St. Charles streetcar line that had been closed since August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina wiped out the line’s catenary system.

Streetcars now are operating along the 1.2-mile Central Business District loop. The remainder of the St. Charles Line is scheduled to open in late 2007. Earlier this year, the Federal Transit Administration provided RTA $9.2 million to upgrade the power lines and construct three power substations.

In early 2006, RTA resumed service on the Riverfront and Canal Street lines using the historic St. Charles line streetcars. All 24 Canal Street and six of the seven Riverfront streetcars were flooded during the hurricane.