The grand opening of the H Street–Benning Road streetcar is only one day away. But, in the grand scheme of things, the project has taken almost a decade, $200 million in costs, and countless deferred expectations to get off the ground.
There are elements of the project that are quantifiable, however. City Desk has rounded up some of those ahead of Saturday:
Year the First Track of D.C.’s Revitalized Streetcar Network Was Supposed To Open: 2006
Number of Streetcars Currently Operational: Five of six
Streetcar Dimensions: 8 x 66 feet
Capacity of Streetcars, in Riders: Around 150, sitting and standing
Number of Citations Issued by the Department of Public Works for Blocking the Streetcar Guideway or Platform in Fiscal Year 2015: 897
Number of Citations Issued for Blocking the Streetcar Guideway or Platform in Fiscal Year 2016: 417
Fine Amount: $100
Number of Miles of Tracks: A little more than two
Number of Stops: Eight
How Many Months It’ll be Free: Six for now (per District Department of Transportation Director Leif Dormsjo)
How Many Daily Riders D.C. Expects at First: 1,500 to 2,000
Number of Curb-Level Boarding-Doors Per Streetcar: Three
Anticipated Wait-Times Between Streetcars: 15 minutes to start
Total Hours of Service Per Week: 110, exclusive of holidays (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and Sundays (no service)
Number of Cheesy Promotional Videos Instructing You How to Ride the Streetcar: One.
Number of Streetcars That Have Caught Fire: One.
Photo via D.C. Streetcar/Flickr