Is The DC Streetcar Actually Useful?

I’ve lived in dc my whole life and I NEVER knew that dc had a streetcar

It is quite sad that DC would spend so much money building a transit system and then effectively abandon it due to low ridership, especially when they did almost everything wrong in designing the system. It's good to hear that they are at least expanding this one; hopefully with more transit positive people getting into leadership we can see more investment into systems like this so that they can have the full benefits of a true network.

Dedicated lanes are the most critical thing we need along the H St corridor. Honestly the whole length of the Streetcar should be a red lane shared with buses. It's very unfortunate that the lines that additional lines did not get finished due to funding, planning and contractor disputes. Construction was started on the Anacostia Line and you can see tracks in the road along Firth Sterling Ave and S Capital St. SE is comparatively bereft of the bike lanes and interconnected grid that DC has west of the Anacostia River. A streetcar connecting EoTR neighborhoods with each other and with the metro would be the most valuable expansion. I know a line down the original route that'd serve Bolling and Blue Plains would be nice but another one through Bellevue, Congress Heights, Skyland, and north up Branch Ave to Minnesota Ave or Benning would be great for connecting areas that are underserved by metro now. As for other lines, here are some ideas: - I agree a line to Georgetown is often touted and would be nice. But given that Circulator Yellow and Blue go there, I'd aim for another region first (or in parallel with dedicated funding). U St to FL Ave would take a lot of nightlife rideshare traffic off the streets. A FL Ave line could meet up with the current one at Benning Rd or turn down 8th St (like it did originally) to where Eastern Market metro is now. - The current H St line could extend west and turn north on 1St NW, paralleling the former N. Capital St line on quieter roads all the way up to the hospital by Michigan Ave. - A streetcar up Georgia Ave connecting Shaw and Howard Univ/Hospital with 16th St Heights, Brightwood, going till it meets the future Purple Line at Bonifant Ave in Silver Spring. - A line from Riggs Rd or Ft Totten metro southeast along SD Ave. Ideally it could serve the transit desert that is Fort Lincoln, maybe with a spur. But turn southwest along Bladensburg Rd to serve Echostage and the Arboretum. It'd meet the current line at Benning Rd. Could also interchange with a separate line that runs on Rt 1 again, from Rhode Island Ave metro into College Park. What do people think?

I live next to it and I almost never use it, but those who live on the Benning Road section use it often to get to Union Station or the stores and restaurants on H. I also use it sometimes to go to Safeway or the good Wings and Mumbo place further down. All in all, it should be extended and made into a real system.

Hey Nathan, I’m not sure if you remember but we were on the same bus last year when you were at WJ. I recently heard about your YouTube channel and what you are doing now. I am genuinely impressed by the quality of your videos and the amount of effort you put into making them. Keep up the good work!

It's odd that they never fully linked the streetcar route to Union Station. The single track at the terminal means you can never have a car going out as one is coming in

I used to take the Megabus from NYC to Union Station; the last leg of the trip took us down H Street and into the Union Station bus depot. I couldn't help but notice as the streetcar came into service, Avenue H seemed to "gentrify" with new stores and apt. buildings - I hope this isn't happening at the expense of the neighborhood's long-time residents. (PS I now take Amtrak right into Union Station - more expensive than the Megabus but 10x more pleasant!)

omg i love the concept of your channel thank youuu

Until 1962 streetcars used to stop across Union Station at the front of the main entrance. Apparently the planner do not know the history of streetcars in Washington D.C..

FYI - DDOT is installing transit only lanes and reconfigurjng other aspects of H St as well.

I have not tried it yet. But great video. Thanks for the information. Cheers 🎉

Thanks for the video!

Once, I had to go down H St, and I took the X2 instead of the Streetcar. I thought about taking the Streetcar, but it was easier for me to get from Union Station to the X2, and quicker than the streetcar. I don't see the point of the streetcar when the busses covering the same route are faster.

Europeans would call it Tram (tramway). The older models were made in the Czech Republic 🇨🇿

Great video! I’m just curious, if the bus is in the same traffic as the streetcar, why is it faster?

bro, do NOT get on that X2 LOL ... sincerely, concerned local 🤣😂

L.A. light rail has dedicated lanes where the trains are on street level, but it's still slow. Crossing intersections on busy streets is the main culprit. Trams are better than nothing.

Maybe one day it will replace the X2

Maravilha!

The DC streetcar has spurred a lot of TOD in the corridor so that’s good