A Streetcar City Reborn: The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Philadelphia's Trolleys

Video Description

On June 16th, 2024, after four years of waiting and wondering if they would ever be seen again, the SEPTA's Route 15 service on Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia were met with a long loved sight: A fleet of green and cream colored 1940s Streetcars began serving passengers again for the first time in four years. In revenue service. With cars that are nearing 80 years old. While a fantastic story in of itself, it's merely beginning of the latest chapter of the story of the trolleys and streetcars of Philadelphia. From the 1850s until now, it has been seen as a story of triumph and downfall, but now can be one of revival and hope for the future of transportation here. They may be old, but they are the harbinger of the future, and this is but the tip of the iceberg of the push to revive the once mighty passenger rail services of the City of Brotherly Love, and it's a tale that deserves to be told as a new age of Philly transit begins. Links to the sites about SEPTA Forward and the Trolley Modernization plan https://wwww.septa.org/trolley-modernization/ https://iseptaphilly.com/blog/newtrolleyfleet https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SEPTA-Trolley-Station-Design-Summary.pdf https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SEPTA-TrolleyMod_ProgramGoals.pdf Credit to Philadelphia Trolley Tracks, a website that chronicles the history of Philly's trolleys and was instrumental in making this video. http://www.phillytrolley.org/index.html Keywords: Trolley, Tram, Streetcar, Bus, Transit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Urban Planning, Public Transport, Trains, Light Rail, Trolleybus, History, SEPTA, Rise, Fall, Revival, City, PCC Streetcar Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:59 The Beginning of Philly's Trolleys 5:18 Route 15 and its Importance 8:55 From Glory to Collapse 13:38 Arrival of SEPTA 15:29 A System Going Down in Flames 19:52 The Unlikely Rebirth of Route 15 23:18 Turning Around 80 Years of decline in Four Years? 29:04 Restoring the Lost Lines 34:39 A Golden Opportunity 37:58 Conclusion