Two of these cars have been renovated and put into operation on the Riverfront Line, New Orleans' first new streetcar line since 1926. The St. Charles line was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1984 the line was declared a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. The New Orleans transit system, and with it the streetcars, came under the management of the Regional Transit Authority in 1983. With the change in management also came a change in attitude about the future.
Streetcars are an integral part of our public transit network.
The St. Charles Line transports 20,000 commuters and visitors daily. In New Orleans, we call our vintage electric rail vehicles streetcars - never trolleys. The most likely reason for the distinction is the pride that New Orleanians take in being the first city west of the Allegheny Mountains to implement passenger rail service. Six vintage streetcars operate along the popular Riverfront line. Three were built by the Perley A. Thomas Company in 1923-24.