AT THE HOP
Grand opening for streetcar set for Nov. 2
The grand opening of the Milwaukee streetcar — known as The Hop — will be Nov. 2, officials announced Friday.
A weekend-long event is planned at Cathedral Square Park, near one of the streetcar stops on East Kilbourn Avenue, starting with a ceremony at noon.
“This is a historical milestone years in the making and one we can’t wait to celebrate with the entire community,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in a statement.
“The Hop will be a tremendous asset to the city and a key contributor to the renaissance we’re experiencing in Milwaukee."
The grand opening will include live music and other entertainment for people waiting to take their first rides. Events Saturday will focus on businesses along the streetcar route and Sunday will have "familyfriendly" activities.
The Hop will run on a 2.5-mile loop through downtown and the Historic Third Ward between the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, 433 W. St. Paul Ave., and Burns Commons, at East Ogden and North Prospect avenues.
The $124 million project includes five streetcars, tracks, overhead wires and a new maintenance facility.
Most of the tracks have been laid for a lakefront loop on East Michigan and East Clybourn streets, between North Milwaukee Street and North Lincoln Memorial Drive, but service is not expected to begin until 2020. That extension would run through the Couture, a high-rise apartment tower planned by Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC.
The Hop will pick up passengers at 18 stations every 10 or 15 minutes. Rides will be free for the first year under a 12-year, $10 million sponsorship by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
Streetcar testing has taken place all summer, primarily at night. As more drivers are hired and trained, daytime testing will start with cars running on a regular schedule but not picking up passengers.
Construction of the streetcar project is funded with a $55 million federal grant and money generated by Milwaukee tax financing districts. The $3.2 million annual operating budget will be covered by fares, advertising revenue, federal grants and cash from city parking meters and parking lots.
Critics at the state and local level say the city is wasting money by returning to a transportation system that was discarded decades ago. Supporters believe it will be embraced by residents and workers and contribute to the downtown renaissance.
The streetcar project was approved by the Common Council in February 2015.
Beginning with the Nov. 2 launch, The Hop will operate seven days a week on the following schedule: Monday - Friday: 5 a.m. – 12 a.m.; Saturday: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m. and Sunday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.