Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
We’ve been writing about the streetcar for several years now. Amid concept, development, controversy, the distraction of construction, it has been fodder for community news. But once decided and construction was underway, the construct has been endured and anticipated. And it STILL is anticipated. And we are still waiting.
But how long exactly are we supposed to wait?!
Here’s a roster of the timeline in case you need to be reminded how long this has taken. The easiest way to do this is to give you a sample of the headlines of all the articles we have done regarding the project.
March 2013: First Hill Streetcar construction underway
June 2013: Chinatown streetcar to connect South Lake Union, Downtown
August 2013: Streetcar construction causes headaches in the ID
October 2013: Streetcar construction causes partial road closures
July 2014: Headed downtown? Consider the streetcar debate — City Council votes on resolution July 21
July 2014: Downtown will get a streetcar
April 2015: The streetcar gets a test run
That’s great that there has been evolution from construction to a few test runs, and in the meantime, a few surprise appearances of sample streetcars—the equivalent to seeing a police horse—a pat on the hind side and a snapshot (we took one of the streetcar’s last visit, see attached souvenir photo).
But we would like to see the streetcar in action. We would like to actually make use of it for transport.
The city has put a lot of time and money and residential headache into making this happen.
It would be nice to put those shiny new tracks and wait stations, and this alternative option for transportation, to use.
Headline (date unknown and to be determined, but hopefully it will be in 2015): Streetcar, so glad you are running the rails (end)