Historic Streetcars Will Soon Be Back in Service in Downtown El Paso

The El Paso’s historic Presidents Conference Committee recently announced that three streetcars are on their way to Western Pennsylvania where they will be restored before being returned to service on the streets of Downtown El Paso.

The streetcars have been in storage at the El Paso International Airport for decades up until this morning, when crane operators from Alliance Rigging and Construction of El Paso hoisted three of the art deco-inspired street cars onto trucks being shipped to Brookville Equipment, Corp., in Brookville, Penn. There they will go through a deep restoration and overhaul with the rest of the streetcars set to be restored at a later date.

For decades the streetcars served Downtown El Paso carrying passengers to and from Ciudad Juárez – until the 1970s when service was discontinued and the tracks were removed.

This streetcar project is being funded by a $97 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to remanufacture the PCC cars and construct the 4.8-mile line which will serve Downtown, South El Paso, and the University of Texas at El Paso. Construction will be managed by the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA). After construction, operation of the line will be managed by Sun Metro.

The CRRMA reported to City Council earlier this week that work is already underway on some utility work related to the project and construction activity will begin on El Paso streets in January 2016.