By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Streetcars will return to St. Louis later this month.
They'll only be on display, but they're meant to raise interest in building a streetcar line between Forest Park and the Delmar Loop.
Crews started laying track at the History Museum Tuesday morning.
"It'll be possible for people - even if they drive cars normally - they could park at one of the Park n' Ride Metrolink strops, take Metrolink into the Loop, and ride the trolley," says Joe Edwards, who has pushed for the trolleys. Edwards owns the Tivoli, Blueberry Hill, and a number of other buildings on Delmar.
"And it will ease parking and traffic congestion in the Loop, as well, because people could park anywhere along the 2.2 mile route and jump on the trolley," he added in an interview on Tuesday.
But the trolley is also still a while from being built because most of the estimated $30 million-plus cost still needs to be raised.
Still, Edwards says the money would be well spent because it would spur even more development, especially between Skinker and DeBalievere.
"The fact that it's fixed track means developers will invest in housing and commercial buildings within 8 or 10 blocks of a fixed track system."
The big highway bill that passed Congress last week doesn't contain any money for the trolley project. But there's wording in the bill that makes the project eligible for future federal funding.