Hardly.
Some US cities already have them, and many more are planning to add them.
A few are historic systems like what you can find in New Orleans, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Most cities have completely removed their historic systems, as Columbus did, and their historic systems have been long since abandoned.
Some cities (Portland, Kenosha, etc) have recently brought them back in a more modern version that run more efficiently, smoothly, and quietly. Which is what Columbus wants to do.
I’ve been keeping tabs lately on some of the development news coming out of some of these cities that are exploring the possibilities of Streetcars. Some cities face similar issues as Columbus (funding, perception), while others seem to be examples to learn from.
Anyway, here’s the big list below. I’ll come back and add to it later on. Feel free to post info in the comments below, and I’ll update the list as well. Keep in mind that this is specifically about Streetcars, and doesn’t include plans for Light Rail or Regional Passenger Rail. That’s an even bigger can of worms for another day.
Grand Rapids Streetcar News- Austin Streetcar News
- Salt Lake City Rail News
- Lancaster, PA Streetcar News
- Washington DC Streetcar News
- Sacramento Streetcar News
Fort Worth Streetcar News- Boise Streetcar News
- Albuquerque Streetcar News
- Tucson Streetcar News
- Birmingham Streetcar News
- Milwaukee Streetcar News
Chicago Streetcar News- New Orleans Streetcar News
- Dallas Streetcar News
- Charlottesville Streetcar News
- Cincinnati Streetcar News
- Kansas City Streetcar News
Charlotte Streetcar News- Omaha Streetcar News
- Jacksonville Streetcar News
- Los Angeles Streetcar News
- Missoula Streetcar News
- Orange County Streetcar News
Seattle Streetcar News- Everett Streetcar News
- Fort Lauderdale Streetcar News
- Portland Streetcar News
Did I miss any?
The City of Charlottesville, Virginia has been talking about a streetcar for years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take into account the fact that the City is surrounded by the County of Albemarle, and there is significant traffic from the surrounding counties.
A starting point for more information is here.
correction: kansas city is planning full light rail. a ballot question for a 14-mile starter line will be on the november ballot and recently polled at 54% favorability.
Dave, many of the cities listed are also planning light rail or already have it. The point of this post was to highlight which cities were planning Streetcars, whether or not it was in addition to or separate from other passenger rail systems.
Thanks for the info though!