Friday, December 19, 2014

HART Unveils Streetcar Modernization and Expansion Study



Tampa St./Florida Ave. is one alignment that was studied.
On Wednesday, December 17, the Tampa Historic Streetcar Board of Directors received the final Tampa Historic Streetcar Extension Study, undertaken by HART to explore the potential benefits of creating a modern streetcar extension through the heart of downtown Tampa to the Marion Transit Center. Those dynamic benefits would greatly complement the project proposed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, and Strategic Property Partners LLC.

HART Board Chair, Councilman Mike Suarez, echoed the sentiment of Mr. Vinik, who stated that his development company Strategic Property Partners LLC are looking to take a leadership role in creating a more robust transportation system in downtown, including an improved streetcar system and enhanced bus service. "HART is excited to be an active partner in the revitalization in the Channelside District," Suarez said, "and it gives me great pride that the TECO Streetcar System is part of Mr. Vinik's vision plan for bringing improved transportation services to the community along with improved access to jobs and economic investment in this corridor."
HART remains committed to innovation for the benefit of the communities it serves including economic, social, and environmentally responsible technological improvements. The Tampa Historic Streetcar Extension Study represents the latest in a long history of leading initiatives HART has undertaken as a transit leader in Tampa as well as the entire state of Florida and the nation as a whole.

Click here to download a copy of the final study. As a note, the Streetcar Modernization and Expansion Study focused specifically on possible extension alignments directly/indirectly serving Marion Transit Center. This does not rule out future extensions serving other areas.

7 comments:

  1. It needs to just be extended north along Franklin Street in both directions to Palm Avenue and connect up in Ybor City for a continuous loop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Streetcar Modernization and Expansion Study focused specifically on possible extension alignments directly/indirectly serving Marion Transit Center. This does not rule out future extensions serving other areas.

      Delete
  2. Should extend all of the way down Bayshore Blvd. Patronage would increase exponentially.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Streetcar Modernization and Expansion Study focused specifically on possible extension alignments directly/indirectly serving Marion Transit Center. This does not rule out future extensions serving other areas.

      Delete
  3. I love this idea. I would also love to see it go past I 275 and go north on Central Avenue like it did historically. I think it would bring much needed transportation to the downtown core from young growing neighborhoods like Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Streetcar Modernization and Expansion Study focused specifically on possible extension alignments directly/indirectly serving Marion Transit Center. This does not rule out future extensions serving other areas.

      Delete
  4. Atlanta just opened its modern streetcar implementation and it looks fantastic! I love the heritage cars but so far as I know there is nothing to stop modern and the current heritage cars from sharing the same line. At least that's my impression - I am downloading your posted information to see what the study has to say about it. Either way, expand on!

    ReplyDelete

Comments to this blog are moderated by HART staff. Constructive comments are welcome; any obscene, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate comments will be deleted before posting. Questions about specific service ("is my bus on time?") cannot be answered here, and should be directed to the HARTinfo Line at (813) 254-HART (4278). General questions may be addressed in future posts.