At their peak, from 2000 to 2003, the rubber-tired trolleys ran all day and all year, and carried 1.5 million riders over those four years, throughout Downtown and as far west as Potawatomi Bingo Casino. Then operated by the Milwaukee County Transit System, the line fell on hard times when federal funding ran out, and County Executive Scott Walker spiked it. Downtown businesses, led by Weirick’s district, raised enough money to resurrect the Trolley Loop, but on its original summers-only schedule.
Visitors love the trolleys, Weirick says, but they and other passengers added up to just 4,935 people last summer, putting the annual cost at about $14 per head. At the same time, she notes, the trolley route was often obstructed by construction for the real streetcar, which will offer all-day, year-round service. Weirick expects her district’s board will reach a final decision on the trolley loop’s future in February, based on the cost, the obstacles and available funding.
‘Last Stop’ appears in the January 2018 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
Find it on newsstands beginning January 1, or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.
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