After more than a decade, the experiment that was DC Streetcar is over.
The District Department of Transportation says the 2.2-mile electric trolley line that served Northeast D.C. on H Street and Benning Road was too expensive to maintain.
With yearly operating costs of $10 million, the streetcar that traveled from Union Station to the intersection of Oklahoma Avenue and Benning Road had 2,600 daily riders.
It was not only Washingtonians who wanted to take one more ride; some traveled a great distance to have their first.
“Originally, I wanted to visit Washington, but I’m interested in public transportation,” German tourist Ulf said. “I read they would close it down, so I had to come.”
Over the last couple days, Ulf rode the DC Streetcar several times and said he enjoyed it, but understands why it’s closing.
“Eight stations … it’s too short,” Ulf said.
Avis Brock might not be a transportation enthusiast like Ulf, but the Washingtonian who lives off H Street agreed.
“If we had extended that car, it would be so easy for people to come in and not have to park in zoned neighborhoods, visit a restaurant and leave,” Brock said. “I will miss the people on the streetcars.”
Brock was joined at the Oklahoma Avenue stop by Mary Bakota, who she struck up a friendship with on the DC Streetcar.
“We met on the streetcar. We just talk and there’s a lot of conversation among us riders,” Brock said.
The two ladies spent time saying goodbye to the streetcar driver, who said he would be working for Metro soon.
Not only is Bakota going to miss her rides on the streetcar, but she also said the closure has taken money out of her purse.
“I have a B&B. And the people would come to Union Station from the airports, and they would go on the streetcar,” Bakota said. “I actually got some cancellations due to no more streetcar.”
As the ladies looked around inside the streetcar for one last time, there was a teenager outside taking pictures.
“I’ve been riding it since it came out,” Jacob Adams said. “When I was in first grade, I went to school at Two Rivers (Middle School) right here, so I used to ride it all the time.”
The DC Streetcar was rolled out when Adams was only 6 years old, so for him, it’s always been a free ride in the city.
“I’m going to miss it. It’s definitely a staple of the H Street Corridor,” he said.
If you think your driveway could use the ultimate conversation piece, the streetcar’s last ride will be to the auction block. D.C. officials told Axios that they plan to auction off the streetcars.
DDOT suggests to those who used DC Streetcar to check out the WMATA’s D20 bus route and use Capital Bikeshare in its place.
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