Loop Trolley

Loop Trolley

Company type	Public transit service
Industry	Transportation
Founded	2018
Founder	Loop Trolley Transportation Development District
Headquarters	St. Louis , United States
Area served	Delmar Loop district, Greater St. Louis, Missouri
Key people	Taulby Roach (CEO, Bi-State Development)
Products	Streetcar transit service
Owner	Loop Trolley Transportation Development District
Parent	Bi-State Development (since 2022)

The Loop Trolley is a historic streetcar service featuring 10 stops within the Delmar Loop district of the greater St. Louis, Missouri area. It began operations in 2018 but halted in 2019 because of insufficient income. Service was reinstated in 2022 under the management of Metro Transit, a division of the Bi-State Development Agency.

The line starts at the Missouri History Museum located in Forest Park, St. Louis, then proceeds north along DeBaliviere Avenue. It includes stops that connect to MetroLink’s Forest Park–DeBaliviere station and serve neighborhoods such as DeBaliviere Place and West End. From there, it travels westward on Delmar Boulevard to the Delmar Loop station before crossing into University City, concluding at the University City Library near Kingsland Avenue.

Built with an investment of $51 million—more than half funded by federal sources—the trolley line is owned by the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District, which also possesses three replica historic streetcars. Initially run by the non-profit Loop Trolley Company, the annual operating costs, estimated around $1.3 million, were planned to be primarily financed through a one-cent sales tax levied on local businesses, with additional support from fare collections and advertising revenue. Nonetheless, ridership fell significantly short of expectations, partly due to limited service during early stages caused by delays in receiving a third streetcar.

Operations were discontinued on December 29, 2019, with federal officials mandating repayment of grant funds if the trolley did not resume service.

In February 2022, the Bi-State Development Board authorized taking control of the trolley line to restart operations through June 2025. The service recommenced on August 4, 2022, initially offered as a fare-free pilot running four days per week until October before closing for the winter season.

This seasonal fare-free operation has continued through 2023 and 2024, providing service from Thursday to Saturday between April and October.

Before operation

The Delmar Loop derives its name from a streetcar turnaround spanning two blocks along the north side of Delmar eastward from Kingsland Avenue. Historically, this loop served two routes operated by the St. Louis Public Service Company—the Olive-Delmar and Creve Coeur lines—as well as a private line extending westward to what is now University City's City Hall. Although streetcar service ended in St. Louis in 1966, the area retained its "Loop" designation.

Around 1997, revitalizing streetcars was advocated by Joe Edwards, proprietor of multiple businesses in the Loop including Blueberry Hill and The Pageant. Edwards acquired two Peter Witt-style streetcars previously used in Milan, Italy. These cars were cosmetically restored by the Gomaco Trolley Company in 2005 and displayed along the proposed route to promote the Loop Trolley project. While initially intended for operation, restoration expenses became prohibitive by 2015 due to deterioration sustained during outdoor exhibition.

In July 2010, a $25 million Urban Circulator Grant was awarded by the Federal Transit Administration toward this initiative, ultimately contributing around $34 million. Additional financial support originated from sources including the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, Surface Transportation Program, tax increment financing, New Markets Tax Credits, St. Louis County Transportation Fund, Great Rivers Greenway, Washington University, sales taxes collected by the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District, and private donations.

Construction commenced in March 2015 with a budget set at $51 million and anticipated annual ridership of approximately 394,000 passengers. By November 2015, half of the track installation was completed and finished by November 2016. The construction phase negatively affected local commerce due to reduced pedestrian traffic; some businesses relocated or permanently closed. One business owner described the trolley as "a solution in need of a problem."

Officials projected first-year fare revenue at $394,433 in 2017 assuming continuous daily service.

The initial two refurbished streetcars arrived in February and March 2017. Testing began when car No. 001 was towed along the route in March 2017 to verify track conditions and station clearances.

By 2018, operating costs were estimated at $1.3 million annually with expected sales tax revenue contributing about $850,000.

Multiple delays pushed back opening dates due to setbacks completing a third trolley car. The company opted to operate a limited schedule using two trolleys until full fleet capacity was achieved.

The Loop Trolley Company announced an opening date of November 15, 2018; however, snow postponed it by one day.

Loop Trolley Company operation

The service launched on November 16, 2018, utilizing two replica historic streetcars operating four days weekly: Thursdays (noon to 8 p.m.), Fridays and Saturdays (noon to 11 p.m.), and Sundays (noon to 8 p.m.). Ticket prices were set at $2 for a two-hour ride and $5 for unlimited daily access, with reduced fares available for children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Plans were in place to extend service to seven days per week upon the arrival of a third trolley.

Initially, the trolley ran only between the Missouri History Museum terminus and the Delmar Loop MetroLink station because University City had not yet issued a permit. Officials required temporary safety barriers around an electrical tower and a $300,000 bond to cover possible track removal costs if the project failed. Once these conditions were met, the full route became operational on November 23.

During its early phase, the trolley encountered difficulties with automated ticket vending machines; however, by late November, it was running along the entire track. By July 2019, fare collections amounted to just $22,283—approximately one-tenth of the forecasted revenue from 2015 that anticipated seven-day service with three trolleys.

On October 17, 2019, a "winter schedule" was implemented, reducing operating hours to end at 6 p.m. Subsequently, on December 5, operators announced the service would cease on December 29 due to inadequate funding and low ridership. Although sales tax revenue generated close to $860,000 in 2019 as projected, only 15,776 tickets were sold over eleven months—significantly below expectations. The limited four-day schedule and absence of the third trolley were identified as major contributing factors. Notably, trolley No. 003 (formerly from Seattle and Melbourne) had not been put into service when operations stopped.

Operation suspended

Operations came to a halt on December 29, 2019. The Bi-State Development Agency, which manages regional transit services, immediately explored options to resume trolley service. Officials proposed a four-year management plan aiming for financial self-sufficiency by 2024; however, a Bi-State committee rejected this proposal on January 24, 2020, citing concerns about its feasibility.

During that meeting, Mokhtee Ahmad, Federal Transit Administration regional administrator, cautioned that failure to restart service could prompt his agency to seek recovery of approximately $25 million in federal funds allocated for construction. This financial responsibility would fall on both the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. Ahmad also warned that pursuing litigation might negatively impact St. Louis’ eligibility for future federal grants.

Three months after service suspension, no updates had been made on the Loop Trolley’s website regarding the shutdown. Joe Edwards, a developer involved with the Loop and chairman of the taxing district, stated that the introduction of a third trolley car combined with sales tax income could potentially allow service restoration by April 2020.

By August 2020, the website cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause for continued suspension—a statement that remained unchanged through July 2022.

On October 27, 2021, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments declined a plan proposing $1.26 million in federal funds alongside $540,000 from local sales tax to revive Loop Trolley operations, leaving the project’s future uncertain.

Resumption of Service

On February 25, 2022, the Bi-State Development Board decided to restart the Loop Trolley operations through June 2025, choosing this option over repaying millions in federal grants originally allocated for its construction. Although St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones initially opposed the trolley’s revival, she preferred reopening it rather than reimbursing the grants. She communicated this decision to Ahmad, highlighting that the reopening could face delays due to safety considerations, with the Missouri Department of Transportation responsible for determining the timeline.

As of February 2022, the trolley fund contained $881,321 collected from local sales tax revenues, with an anticipated additional $773,787 expected during that year. The authority also applied for a $1.26 million grant from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, which was still awaiting approval.

Operations recommenced on August 4, 2022, running from Thursday through Sunday until October 30, instead of maintaining year-round service as previously done. According to Bi-State Development CEO Taulby Roach, ridership surpassed 8,000 trips during this nearly three-month period.

In 2023, service was provided from April 27 to October 29 on a similar Thursday-to-Sunday schedule. Total ridership rose to over 8,500; however, average monthly ridership declined from roughly 2,500 to under 1,400 passengers. In November 2023, Roach indicated that Bi-State was considering extending operations through 2026—one year beyond the current commitment.

The 2024 season operated between April 25 and October 27 following a comparable schedule. It achieved an estimated ridership of 12,350—a 44% increase compared to 2023—and remained within budgetary constraints. Roach mentioned that Bi-State would work alongside the Federal Transit Administration and the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District to extend the management contract to fulfill federal requirements and ensure long-term operational sustainability.

Rolling stock

The Loop Trolley utilized two replica vintage streetcars purchased secondhand from Portland, Oregon. A third historic streetcar originating from Seattle was anticipated to join the fleet in 2019.

In December 2013, the Loop Trolley district secured two Gomaco-constructed Brill-style replica streetcars from Portland’s transit agency TriMet. These cars had previously operated on Portland’s Portland Vintage Trolley line until mid-2014. Modeled after streetcars from 1903 but built in 1991 (car number 511) and 1992 (car number 512), they feature steel chassis beneath wooden bodies and modern propulsion systems. For use in St. Louis, modifications were made to accommodate wheelchair access by installing ADA-compliant lifts; Gomaco performed these alterations starting in August 2015 at its Iowa facility.

In January 2016, the district acquired three former Melbourne, Australia W2-class trams from Seattle’s discontinued Waterfront Streetcar operation. Due to budget constraints, only one was planned for immediate refurbishment involving restoration of single-side doors, installation of wheelchair lifts on both sides, and replacement of trolley poles with pantographs. All three cars arrived in June 2016; two were stored for potential future deployment while one (Car 512) was contracted to Gomaco for restoration under a $676,750 agreement.

By 2019, the active fleet was intended to consist of three vehicles: two ex-Portland Brill replicas (originally Nos. 511 and 512), renumbered as Cars 002 and 001 respectively; and one ex-Seattle/Melbourne tram (No. 512) renumbered as Car 003. The color schemes were red and cream for Car 001, blue and cream for Car 002, and orange and cream for Car 003.

At launch time, Car 003 remained at Gomaco’s Iowa facility due to delays exceeding one year caused by parts shortages from Germany. It was eventually delivered to the Loop Trolley maintenance site on January 29, 2019. In 2024, Car 003 was returned to Gomaco along with Cars 482 and 518.

No.	Image	Type	Former No.	Former operator	Acquired	Current Status	Refs.
1351		Peter Witt streetcar	1906	Azienda Trasporti Milanesi	August 2005	Returned to Gomaco
1352			1811			Renumbered back to 1811 and acquired by Midwest Electric Railway
482		W2-type tram		Waterfront Streetcar	June 2016	Acquired by Gomaco
518
001		Replica Council Crest trolley	512	Portland Vintage Trolley	February 16, 2017	In operation
002			511		March 30, 2017
003		W2-type tram	512	Waterfront Streetcar	January 29, 2019	Returned to Gomaco

Maintenance Facility

The administrative offices and upkeep center for the Loop Trolley are located at 5875 Delmar Boulevard, within a building that formerly served as Delmar High School until its closure in 1980.

See also

• Streetcars in North America
• St. Charles City Streetcar
• St. Louis Metrolink