Streetcar in downtown Tampa celebrates 20 years as a staple for tourists, locals

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa’s downtown streetcar celebrated its 20th anniversary Friday, evolving from tourist novelty to commuter option.

The streetcar is a staple for tourists and locals who walk on every day, serving 1.1 million riders so far.

"I think it’s a good option for people to get around the city, good way to get access the different areas of the city and the town," said Ashley Clayton, a Cincinnati resident visiting Tampa. "[We’re] just kind of taking the trolley around to see what the town has to offer before we fly back home."

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The City of Tampa and HART showed off a new logo Friday and a new vision for the streetcar.

"Faster, more efficient, more stops, more ground cover, more people served," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

It used to be a novelty, but now it’s used by visitors and locals to get around for special events, seeing the city and commuting to work.

"If you look at it even 10 years ago, there wasn’t much use," said Lynda Remund, president of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. "There was little utilization and just a handful of passengers on it. Now you look at it, there are actually lines to get on the streetcar."

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An expansion plan with the Florida Department of Transportation would take the streetcar north and expand to 17 stops over four miles.

"We really want to bring up Florida Avenue and back down Tampa, and I think that that will really help with that connection and be able to have that [bus rapid transit] on the east/west corridor. That really is vital to making it a more regional and transit option for downtown," said Remund.

Paying for the expansion would require $67 million to match FDOT’s grant.

"We, in the city of Tampa, were counting on that transportation referendum to be able to provide that," said Castor. "Our community voted for that because of the condition of our roadways and the fact that our community wants and needs transit solutions."

But the Hillsborough County transportation tax referendum is now in the hands of an appeals court, so the city and its partners are looking at other options. While Tampa waits, new residents like Barbara Van Airsdale hope the streetcar sticks around.

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"You have all these things to do down here, and they don’t cost anything. You can enjoy it, even on your lunch break, makes it affordable and accessible," said Van Airsdale, a new Tampa resident.

The plan to expand the Tampa streetcar includes buying 10 modern cars to move more people and operating every 10 minutes during peak hours on weekdays. Local residents said they are glad to hear about more transit options.