The Loop Trolley project is still on track to begin giving rides this spring despite delays in getting some of the street cars to St. Louis.
Construction on the 2.2 mile route between Forest Park and the Delmar Loop wrapped up last fall, but two of the trolleys remain at a facility in Ida Grove, Iowa, for testing.
The cars were first expected to arrive in late November, said Joe Edwards, chair of the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District that’s overseeing the $51 million project.
“It’s taken a little bit longer in Iowa for some of the progress and all, but it’s not delaying the timeline here that much, because so many manuals have to be done, so many instruction classes with operators and first responders have to be done that we’re still on target for our late spring start,” he told St. Louis Public Radio.
Edward said he expects the trolleys to arrive here by mid-February.
They’ll undergo testing at the trolley line’s headquarters in the former Delmar High School before rolling onto the streets for trial runs.
A truck will first pull the trolleys along the 10 stops of the route to test for clearances, before they’re powered by 600-volt cables above the street
The Loop Trolley will be the first street car to operate in St. Louis since 1966.
Follow Joseph Leahy on Twitter: @joemikeleahy
