The first time I went to New Orleans was the year after Katrina. The lesson I took away was that this was a city that wasn't going to quit. I got back there for the third time last week and the lesson I left with this time is that this is a city that is back on its feet and ready for a new age. One of the key parts of this new age is its great trolley system.
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| A car waits for its next run on Canal Street. |
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There are
three lines around the city -- Canal Street, Riverfront and St. Charles. I didn't see much of the St. Charles Street line this time, but I figure on a future trip I will make a better effort. Since my last visit in 2008, the city has got some new cars and is painting them in a red and gold livery. I personally like the older all-green cars, which you can still see on St. Charles, but the red one do have a clean, new look to them.
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| Handicap chair lift in action on a Riverside car. |
The Canal Street line goes right down the middle of its namesake street on a dedicated right of way. The right of way is paved and I have seen it used by the police and other emergency services as something of their own private highway. It has the feel of looking down a tunnel if you stand in the right spot.
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| An outbound Riverside car at Toulouse Street. |
The Riverside line runs along the Mississippi. It is a great way to get from the convention center to the French Quarter for instance. Or, you can change cars at the head of Canal Street and move out to explore other areas of the city. Running along side the Riverside line is a freight line that I saw carrying trains headed by both CSX and UP power. A few years back I also got a photo of some New Orleans Public Belt locomotives on those tracks, but I didn't see any on this trip.
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