View source for TECO Line Streetcar

{{Short description|Streetcar line in Tampa, Florida, US}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width                       = 
| name                            = TECO Line Streetcar System
| color                           = 
| logo                            = TECO Line logo.png
| logo_width                      = 
| image                           = Tecostreetcar.JPG
| image_width                     = 
| caption                         = A TECO streetcar picking up passengers in [[Ybor City]]
| type                            = [[Heritage streetcar]]
| system                          = [[Hillsborough Area Regional Transit|HART]]
| status                          = Operational
| locale                          = [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], [[Florida]]
| start                           = [[Hattricks station|Hattricks]]
| end                             = [[Centennial Park station|Centennial Park]]
| stations                        = 11<ref name="map" />
| website                         = {{url|tecolinestreetcar.org|TECO Line Streetcar}}
| routes                          = 1<ref name="map" />
| daily_ridership                 = 3,000 (weekdays, Q4 2024){{American transit ridership|dailycitation}}
| open                            = October 19, 2002
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[City of Tampa]]
| operator                        = [[Hillsborough Area Regional Transit|HART]]
| character                       = At-grade
| depot                           = 
| stock                           = [[Birney]]
| linelength                      = {{convert|2.7|mi|km|2|abbr=on}}<ref name="TECO-history">{{cite web | url = http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/history/index.htm | title = TECO Line Streetcar | publisher = TECOline Streetcar | year = 2012 | access-date = 2013-08-18 | archive-date = 2015-09-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906181829/http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/history/index.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| minradius                       = 
| electrification                 = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Tampa's TECO Line Streetcar System Inventing the Future. Respecting the Past. |url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/news/inventing_the_future.pdf |website=TECO line Streetcar |access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref>
| speed                           = 
| elevation                       = 
| embedded                        = {{pb}}
{{External media|width=295px| float =left|title=1900's Tampa streetcar route maps|image1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230711075024/https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ebea7857366423e3387b23e/1589919758649-594OF86XCJ0M477HLMZD/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w Original 1920-40s (tampaheights.org)]|image2=[https://i.imgur.com/AOlhdDs.png 1920's Modern Redraw (Jake Berman)]}}
| map                             = {{TECO Line Streetcar System}}
| map_name                        = Route diagram
}}

The '''TECO Line Streetcar System''' is a [[heritage streetcar]] transit line in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], [[Florida]], run by the [[HARTline|Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority]] (HART), owned by the city of Tampa, and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. It connects [[Downtown Tampa|Downtown]] and [[Channel District, Tampa, Florida|Channelside]] to the historic [[Ybor City]] district. There is also an "In-Town" [[Tourist trolley|trolley-replica bus]] system that connects Downtown, Channelside, and [[Harbour Island (Tampa)|Harbour Island]].<ref name="map">{{cite web |title=Downtown Network Map - Downtown Network of Services |publisher=Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) |url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/maps/downtown_network.pdf |year=2012 |access-date=2013-08-18}}</ref>

The line opened on October 19, 2002, at {{convert|2.4|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} long, and expanded to {{convert|2.7|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} in 2010,<ref>{{cite web |title=TECO Line Streetcar |url=https://www.tampagov.net/tss-transportation/streetcar |website=tampagov.net |date=24 January 2019 |publisher=City of Tampa |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> with 11 stations.<ref name="map" /> The system is single-track with several passing sidings, which mostly follows a reserved [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] at a cost of 13.7 million per mile.  Ten replica historic streetcars and one restored historic streetcar are used on the line. The replica cars themselves cost $745,000 each. A $2.7 million grant from the [[Florida Department of Transportation]] awarded in 2018 allowed HART to eliminate fares and increase frequency on the line, causing a significant increase in ridership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/04/08/how-tampa-tripled-ridership-on-its-streetcar/|title=How Tampa Tripled Ridership on its Streetcar|date=2019-04-08|website=Streetsblog USA|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref> 

Despite a $67 million state grant, a proposed expansion to {{convert|4.0|mile}} and 6 more stations has faced funding issues.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> A county tax to help pay for the development was ruled unconstitutional by the [[Supreme Court of Florida]] in 2021 after being passed locally.<ref name=":1" />

==First streetcars in Tampa==
[[File:Tampa street railway.jpg|thumb|left|Locomotive and cars of the Tampa Street Railway in early 1890s]]
The first streetcars in Tampa were operated by the Tampa Street Railway Company between downtown Tampa and Ybor City. The line started operation in 1885, using wood-burning steam engines. In 1892 the Tampa Street Railway Company merged with the Florida Electric Company to form the Tampa Street Railway and Power Company, and converted to electrically powered streetcars in 1893. Also in 1892, a rival company, the Tampa Suburban Company, was organized to compete with the Tampa Street Railway Company, but was blocked from operating by an injunction. A new company, The Consumers Electric Light and Street Railway Company was formed, and soon out-competed the Tampa Railway Company by lowering its fares. The Consumers Electric Light and Street Railway Company bought out the Tampa Street Railway Company in 1894. The company also acquired control of the Tampa and Palmetto Beach Rail Company, becoming the sole streetcar operator in Tampa. The [[TECO Energy|Tampa Electric Company]] acquired control of the Consumers Electric Light and Street Railway Company in 1899.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tampa's Streetcar System|url=http://tampapreservation.org/tampa-heritage/tampa-streetcar-system/|website=Tampa Heritage|publisher=Tampa Preservation, Inc.|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tampa's Streetcar History|url=http://tampabayhistorycenter.blogspot.com/2014/02/tampas-streetcar-history.html|website=Soar Through History|publisher=Tampa Bay History Center|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref>{{Multiple images
| image1            = Trolley on Lafayette St 191.jpg
| image2            = Tampa Street Car, Kennedy Boulevard.webp
| image3            = 
| direction         = horizontal
| caption2          = {{center|Grand Central Avenue (now Kennedy Boulevard) near the Tampa Bay Hotel, August, 1925}}
| caption1          = Streetcar approaching Lafayette St. bridge, from in front of Plant Park, 1918
| caption3          = 
| align             = center
| total_width       = 550
}}The Tampa Electric Company acquired {{convert|21|mi|km}} of streetcar track with the Consumers Electric Light and Street Railway Company in 1899. After acquiring the Tampa and Sulphur Springs Traction Company in 1913, Tampa Electric had almost {{convert|50|mi|km}} of track, increasing to {{convert|53|mi|km}} by 1926.  That year the Tampa Electric system carried almost 24 million passengers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Streetcar history clatters and dings|date=26 May 2017|url=http://tampaelectricblog.com/streetcar-free-rides-fourth-friday-tampa/|publisher=TECO - Tampa Electric|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407020436/http://tampaelectricblog.com/streetcar-free-rides-fourth-friday-tampa/ |access-date=6 July 2023|archive-date=2023-04-07 }}</ref>
[[File:Streetcars_in_Tampa,.webp|center|thumb|310x310px|August, 1924]]The streetcar system in Tampa was extensive, maps [https://web.archive.org/web/20230711075024/https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ebea7857366423e3387b23e/1589919758649-594OF86XCJ0M477HLMZD/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w shown here] & [https://i.imgur.com/AOlhdDs.png here], with at least 13 different connected lines. Each line ran anywhere from every 10 to 30 minutes, from around 5 am till midnight.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tampa Heights, History |url=https://www.tampaheights.org/history |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=TampaHeights.org |language=en-US}}</ref> It was shut down after World War Two, with the city tearing up most of the tracks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=What happened to Tampa's streetcars? An artist mapped the forgotten lines. |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2019/10/01/what-happened-to-tampas-streetcars-an-artist-mapped-the-citys-lost-transit-lines/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> The last cars were removed from service some time between 1946 and 1949.<ref>{{cite web|title=The End of the Streetcar Era in Tampa|url=https://www.tampapix.com/streetcars.htm|website=Ybor City|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref>{{Clear left}}

==Revival==
[[File:Nachbau eines Birney Safety Cars in Tampa.jpg|thumb|Replica of a Birney Safety Car in Tampa]]
[[File:Centro Ybor, Ybor City, Tampa, Florida.jpg|thumb|One of the streetcars at Centro Ybor, Ybor City]]
Streetcars returned to Tampa in 2002, when the initial {{convert|2.4|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} long<ref name="TECO-history" /> [[Heritage streetcar|heritage line]] was opened. Its operating costs are financed through a special tax assessment (.33 per thousand) on businesses in the streetcar district and a streetcar endowment stemming from settlement money received in 2006 by the city for the demolition of the [[Harbour Island People Mover]].

In its first year of operation, the streetcar carried 420,000 riders, 20% more than projected. In 2005, 434,498 passengers used the streetcar. In 2011, streetcar ridership from October 2011 through May decreased by 8.3 percent to 265,148 with a total for the year of 358,737 riders. In 2015, the streetcar served 285,900 passengers.<ref name="APTA">{{Cite web | url = https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019-Q1-Ridership-APTA-1.pdf | title = Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2019 | publisher = [[American Public Transportation Association]] }}</ref>

A new {{convert|0.333|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} extension,<ref name="TECO-history" /> costing $5.5 million, opened for revenue service on December 19, 2010. The extension runs north along Franklin Street to Whiting Street and the Fort Brooke parking garage,<ref name="TECO-history" /> connecting the Convention Center as well as the rest of the TECO Line to the downtown core.<ref>{{cite news |title=Streetcar system reaches more of downtown Tampa |newspaper=Tampa Bay Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2010/12/17/streetcar-system-reaches-more-of.html |date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=2011-01-24}}</ref>

==Station list==
From north to south, the stations are
*{{stn|Centennial Park}}; the northern terminus of the line
*{{stn|Centro Ybor}}; formerly Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union
*{{stn|Streetcar Society}}
*{{stn|Cadrecha Plaza}}
*{{stn|Publix}}
*{{stn|York Street||Tampa}}
*{{stn|Cumberland Avenue||Tampa}}
*{{stn|Amalie Arena}}; formerly The Tampa Tribune station
*{{stn|HSBC}}
*[[Dick Greco Plaza]]; former southern terminus until 2010, connection to Purple Line; signed as TRANSPORTATION PLAZA on [[rollsign]]s
*{{stn|Whiting}}; southern terminus, connection to HART bus routes 1 and 30, access to Fort Brooke parking garage.

==Rolling stock==
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Interior of a historic streetcar, Ybor City, Tampa, Florida.jpg
| image2            = Tampa Birney streetcar 163 westbound on E 8th Ave near Centro Ybor stop in 2009.jpg
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 225
| caption1          = Interior of one of the replica streetcars
| caption2          = Original Birney-type car 163 just west of [[Centro Ybor station]] in 2009
}}
The system originally had had eleven operating streetcars: nine modern replica double-truck [[Birney]] cars, one replica open-bench "Breezer" (similar to [[J. G. Brill Company|J.G. Brill cars]] built for Metropolitan Street Railway of New York), and one restored original Birney car.  The replicas were built by the [[Gomaco Trolley Company]] in Ida Grove, Iowa. In 2020, the number of operating streetcars was reduced to ten as car #429 was in an accident that damaged it beyond repair. The replica vehicles resemble the originals that were operating in the city from the 1920s to 1946. 

The Birney #163, is the fully restored unit and is smaller than the replica models.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/assets/documents/StreetcarVehicles.pdf |title=Streetcar Vehicles |work=TECO Lines |access-date=February 14, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> This streetcar ran on the Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway between 1923 and 1946.  It was found in 1991 in [[Sulphur Springs, Tampa|Sulphur Springs]], a neighborhood in Tampa, where it had been used as an apartment and later a storage shed. Volunteers worked more than 10,000 hours to restore the car to its former condition. It is Florida's only operational historic streetcar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/attractions/looking-back-the-ybor-city-streetcar-gets-a-new-life-december-27-1991/2330953/|title=Looking Back: The Ybor City Streetcar gets a new life (Dec. 27, 1991)|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/assets/documents/StreetcarVehicles.pdf|title=Streetcar Vehicles|website=TECO Line Streetcar System|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref>

The replica Birney cars have a welded steel body with cosmetic rivets added to make them look older. The cars are wheelchair-accessible, are air-conditioned and offer free WiFi. The seats are made of wood and are reversible for when the car changes direction. The cars are also equipped with on-board ticket dispensers; however, they do not provide change.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gomaco.com/downloads/Birney.pdf|title=Heritage Replica Birney Trolley |website=Gomaco|access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref>

==Financing==
[[File:Invision Tampa Street Car Project.png|thumb|Map of proposed extension]]
The agency that operates the streetcar is a non-profit.<ref name=TampaBay2014-10-22>
{{cite news 
| url         = https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-tampa-trolley-gets-helpful-push/2203297/
| title       = Editorial: Tampa trolley gets helpful push
| newspaper   = [[Tampa Bay Times]]
| date        = October 22, 2014
| access-date  = 2014-10-25
| quote       = The Tampa Port Authority's decision to withhold a subsidy from the downtown streetcar until the trolley system comes up with a stronger business plan could be a helpful turning point for this key public asset. The port should use this leverage, though, to make the trolley much more integral to the remaking of the Channel District.
}}</ref> On October 22, 2014, the ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]'' published an editorial on the leverage a subsidy the [[Tampa Port Authority]] gives to the streetcar system.  However it also wrote that the system "is not dependent" on the subsidy.  They also reported that the system has to pay almost half a million dollars in insurance to cover the risk of streetcars crossing an active freight rail line.

The single-ride adult fare was $2.50 prior to October 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/fares/index.htm|title=Streetcar fares|date=2018|website=TECOline Streetcar System|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831153814/http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/fares/index.htm|archive-date=August 31, 2018|access-date=February 17, 2019}}</ref> Starting that month, [[Free public transport|fares were dropped]] for a three year period due to a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Free streetcar rides in downtown Tampa for three years |url=http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/free-streetcar-rides-in-downtown-tampa-for-three-years |access-date=8 October 2018 |agency=FOX 13 |date=7 October 2018}}</ref> As a result, ridership on the 2.7 mile line has skyrocketed, with almost three times as many riders in 2019 as in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brezina-Smith |first1=Veronica |title=TECO Line Streetcar nearly triples annual ridership |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2019/10/18/teco-line-streetcar-nearly-triples-annual.html |website=bizjournals.com |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>

Plenary Americas US Holdings Inc has proposed partnering with the city to build a transit line primarily along Cypress Street - connecting Ybor City, Channelside, Downtown, Midtown, Westshore, and the airport. The new line may be called the CrossTampa Transit Connector with 16 stations and two major multipurpose hubs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/2020/12/18/could-a-streetcar-linking-tampa-with-the-airport-open-by-2026/|title=Could a streetcar linking Tampa with the airport open by 2026?|date=2020|website=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref>

The Florida Department of Revenue awarded $67 million for the streetcar expansion on December 8, 2020. The city hoped the updated and extended streetcar service would be up and running by the end of 2026.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2020|title=Florida will contribute $67 million to extend Tampa streetcar|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/2020/12/08/florida-will-contribute-67-million-to-extend-tampa-streetcar/|website=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref>

In February 2021 the Florida Supreme Court declared a one-percent county-wide sales tax unconstitutional in a 4-1 vote. The "All for Transportation" sales tax was approved by Hillsborough County voters in 2018 and $400 million had already been collected but was left unspent.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Holton|first=Jennifer|date=February 25, 2021|title=Florida Supreme Court rejects Hillsborough County's transportation tax hike|work=Fox13News|url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-supreme-court-rejects-hillsborough-countys-transportation-tax-hike}}</ref> The funds from this tax were the primary local funding source for the extension project, and thus the future of the project has been placed under review.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Tampa Streetcar Extension and Modernization - Small Starts Project Development|work=[[United States Department of Transportation]]|url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2021-06/FL-Tampa-Streetcar-Extension-and-Modernization-Project-Profile-FY22.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Brezina-Smith|first=Veronica|date=March 19, 2021|title=Hillsborough transit agency works to continue Streetcar expansion after surtax is rejected|work=Tampa Bay Business Journal|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2021/03/19/streetcar-hits-highest-ridership-since-pandemic.html}}</ref> A new measure to replace the 2018 tax was proposed in 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|last=King|first=McKenna|date=May 5, 2021|title=Hillsborough leaders look to put new one-cent sales tax on 2022 ballot for transportation projects|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/driving-tampa-bay-forward/hillsborough-leaders-look-to-put-new-one-cent-sales-tax-on-2022-ballot-for-transportation-projects}}</ref> The referendum for a one percent sales tax was rejected by 2022 voters with results of 48.60% For vs. 51.40% Against.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-09 |title=Hillsborough votes down a transportation tax as Castor returns to Congress |url=https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2022-11-09/2022-hillsborough-election-results |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=WUSF Public Media |language=en}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="5" mode="packed-hover">
File:YborStreetcarDoNotEnterAug08.jpg|{{center|Streetcar in Ybor City}}
File:TampaStreetcarsAug2008DowntownTurnBreezer.jpg|{{center|"Breezer" streetcar in downtown Tampa}}
File:TampaStreetcarsAug2008GrecoPlazaTicketMachine.jpg|{{center|Streetcar ticket machine}}
File:TampaStreetcarsAug2008BreezerDomeB.jpg|{{center|"Breezer" streetcar at Greco Plaza stop}}
File:Tecolinecars.jpg|Streetcars in the maintenance facility
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Transport|Florida}}

*[[Light rail in the United States]]
*[[List of heritage railroads in the United States]]
*[[List of streetcar systems in the United States]]
*[[Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad#Orlando & Northwestern Railway|Royal Palm Railway Experience]]
*[[Streetcars in North America]]
*[[Transportation in Florida]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|TECO Line Streetcar System}}

*[http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/ TECO Line official site]
*[http://www.railwaypreservation.com/vintagetrolley/tampa.htm North American Vintage Trolley Systems]
*[https://archive.today/20130117211307/http://www.battleblog.com/user/tamparail/streetcar.asp/ TECO Streetcar at Tampa Rail Website]

{{USLightRail}}
{{Heritage Streetcars}}
{{FloridaTransSystems}}
{{Florida railroads}}

[[Category:2002 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Heritage streetcar systems]]
[[Category:Hillsborough Area Regional Transit]]
[[Category:Streetcars in Florida]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 2002]]
[[Category:Transportation in Tampa, Florida]]