River Street Streetcar
| Company type | Public transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | February 11, 2009 |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Savannah, Georgia , United States |
Area served | Savannah, Georgia |
| Products | Streetcar transit service |
The River Street Streetcar was a historic streetcar route located in Savannah, Georgia, which began operations on February 11, 2009. It served six stops along River Street, running alongside the Savannah River. Around 2015, the service was halted without an official statement. The streetcar vehicle and its maintenance shelter were removed, with the car currently stored at the Georgia State Railroad Museum roundhouse.
History
Savannah's initial horsecar services commenced in 1869. By 1890, electric streetcars had been introduced but ceased operations on August 26, 1946. The River Street branch line was under the ownership of Norfolk Southern Railway, which operated the River Street Rambler freight train until 2003.
In 2004, the city acquired the River Street Branch right-of-way from Norfolk Southern for approximately $600,000. The streetcar ran along disused railroad tracks set into cobblestones on River Street near City Hall.
To start the service, Savannah purchased a 1930s-era W5-class streetcar (#756) from Melbourne, Australia, for about $207,000. This vehicle was upgraded with a hybrid propulsion system combining a biodiesel generator and batteries at an extra cost of $100,000. The streetcar, affectionately named "Dottie" after the Savannah DOT team responsible for the project, debuted during the Climate Action Parade on December 9, 2008, with regular service beginning February 11, 2009.
In January 2015, after only nine days of operation that year, a mechanical breakdown on January 16 forced service suspension. This followed earlier extended maintenance-related shutdowns and ultimately led to an indefinite halt of streetcar operations, which were replaced by trolley-style buses. No official abandonment was announced; references to the streetcar were quietly removed from Chatham Area Transit’s website that same year.
The vehicle remains stored at the Georgia State Railroad Museum.
By 2017, Savannah DOT’s website acknowledged the suspension, explaining that upcoming construction on River Street would disrupt tracks and related infrastructure. After reviewing options, a temporary suspension was chosen with intentions to eventually reinstate service.
Schedule and stations
The streetcar operated Thursday through Sunday between noon and 9:00 pm.
Stops from west to east included:
- Montgomery Street
- Barnard Street
- City Hall – Transit Terminal offering connections to city bus routes and the Savannah Belles ferry
- Abercorn Street
- Habersham Street
- East Broad Street – transfer point to the Savannah Belles ferry heading to Hutchinson Island at Waving Girl Landing
Future expansion
Plans announced in spring 2009 proposed extending operations to six days weekly with service hours until 10:00 pm. There is potential for the River Street Line to expand toward the Georgia State Railroad Museum and Visitor Center if additional tracks are installed along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Further proposed routes include utilizing abandoned railroad corridors such as Fahm Street to support local business development and enhance Savannah’s public transit network market share.
See also
- Public transportation in Savannah, Georgia
- Hybrid train
- Georgia State Railroad Museum
- Savannah Historic District
External links
- Heritage streetcar systems
- Transportation in Savannah, Georgia
- Tourist attractions in Savannah, Georgia
- Streetcars in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Railway companies established in 2009
- Transportation in Chatham County, Georgia
- 2009 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- American companies established in 2009
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment