Readers Split On Proposed Streetcar Route
Readers in the poll last week didn’t select any one option by a majority. The three routes presented as options, two being considered and another I’ve been advocating for years, each received a similar number of votes.
Q: My preferred route for a streetcar line is…
- Option 2: Olive/Lindell>Euclid>Forest Park Blvd>Taylor>Lindell 35 [29.66%]
- Option 1: Olive/Lindell>Taylor>Children’s Place/CWE MetroLink 31 [26.27%]
- New option: Olive/Lindell to Vandeventer to Delmar to Loop Trolley 29 [24.58%]
- None, don’t built a streetcar line 12 [10.17%]
- Other: 10 [8.47%
- Unsure/No Opinion 1 [0.85%]
The ten other answers were:
- Use the old Hodiamont Streetcar right of way
- grand blvd
- Olive/Lindell>Euclid>Forest Park Blvd>Vanderventerr>Lindell/Olive
- Street cars are a joke. They are a waste. Busses offer far more flexibility.
- Use the old Hodiamont street car right of way.
- Continue on Lindell to Debaliviere/Loop Trolley connection.
- Middle-upper income routes to replace cars.
- Link “downtown” only by s.cars: riverfrt. to Jeff Ave,, Delmar to Soulard.
- free, downtown loop, between Tucker & Broadway
- Option 1 but utilize Market and Forest park instead of Olive/Lindell
When streetcars were first installed it was a private effort by real estate developers to make it easier for buyers to reach new development:
The Gravois-Jefferson Streetcar Suburb Historic District is located within the boundaries of the City of St. Louis, Missouri. The -715-acre District is a triangular area generally bounded by the intersection of Gravois and South Jefferson Avenues at the north, South Jefferson Avenue and South Broadway Street (south of Chippewa Street) on the east, Meramec Street on the south, South Grand Boulevard on the west, and Gravois Avenue on the northwest.’ Gravois Avenue is a major arterial street and historically served as a wagon, streetcar, and vehicular transit corridor. South Jefferson Avenue also was and is a major transportation corridor. Meramec Street is a major collector street. Mixed commercial, institutional, and residential use along these major city thoroughfares visually and historically defines the survey area. (National Register nomination PDF)
Today funding streetcars in developed urban areas takes more than available right-of-way, it takes enough demand to justify the investment in infrastructure. Often this means connecting some big dots, the in between will fill in over time with proper land use controls. The problem in St. Louis is our big dots are generally east-west between downtown and Clayton. What big dots exist north & south to guarantee ridership on a daily basis?
Grand has a few dots:
- VA Hospital
- Grand Center/SLU
- Grand MetroLink
- SLU Hospital
Okay, suppose you connect these via streetcar — that’s a mile and a half length. Not bad, but you’d still have to run the #70 (Grand) MetroBus to reach areas north and south — an additional 7.5 miles. Even my longtime preferred route of Olive/Lindell to Vandeventer to Delmar doesn’t have enough dots to get funding.
But between the Option 1 & 2 being considered I have a strong preference for #1 — the double track on Taylor Ave option rather than the Euclid/Forest Park/Taylor loop.Establishing a double track on Taylor Ave sets up a perfect scenario for north-south expansion. Below is one concept:

The dots aren’t there for an initial north-south line but extending a couple of miles here and there every few years would eventually build a system. The current proposal calls for a north-south piece at 14th Street, going up to St. Louis Avenue. The double track on Taylor of Option 1 provides an ideal spot for a second north-south line further west. Expansion could happen to reach new development projects.
Yes, what I’ve shown above would take decades to construct. That’s how long-term planning works. For further reading on streetcars please see a 65-page literature review of Relationships Between Streetcars and the Built Environment.
— Steve Patterson