El Paso Streetcar Project

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The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) completed the El Paso Streetcar project In November 2018, which restored six historic streetcars and made infrastructure improvements along a 4.8-mile route in the city, including track, overhead contact system lines, power stations, and a maintenance and storage facility. With 27 streetcar stops, the project was designed to link international bridges, downtown retail areas, a convention center, ballpark, Cincinnati Entertainment District, and the University of Texas at El Paso, among other area attractions. The route comprises two loops: (1) the clockwise Downtown Loop that passes through Santa Fe Street, Franklin Avenue, Kansas Street, and Father Rahm Avenue, and (2) the counter clockwise Uptown Loop that passes through Stanton Street, Glory Road, Oregon Avenue, and Franklin Avenue. The CRRMA repurposed Presidents’ Conference Committee streetcar vehicles that ran in the area from the 1950s to 1974, and included track, overhead contact system lines, a power station, and a maintenance and storage facility. The El Paso Streetcar project is operated and maintained by Sun Metro, the city’s Mass Transit Department. Construction on the project began in January 2017 and was completed in three phases: Phase I: Underground. This phase consisted of improvements and relocations of existing utilities to eliminate any conflicts with the new streetcar construction. Phase II: Civil/Track. This phase included removal of the existing roadway, curbs, and sidewalks to install the rail, concrete trackslab, and associated new street and sidewalk improvements. Phase III: Overhead Contact System. This phase included the erection of the poles and installation of the contact wire that powers the streetcars.

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