Riverfront Streetcar Line

Riverfront
A 457 Series Perley Thomas replica streetcar operating on the Riverfront line
Overview
Status	Partially operating, closed south of Canal Street and interlined with Route 49
Owner	New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
Line number	2
Locale	New Orleans, Louisiana
Termini	French Market John Churchill Chase
Stations	9
Service
Type	Heritage streetcar
System	Streetcars in New Orleans
Depot(s)	A. Philip Randolph Operations Facility
Rolling stock	457 Series Perley Thomas replica streetcars
History
Opened	August 14, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-08-14)[1]
Technical
Line length	2 mi (3.2 km) (total)
Number of tracks	2
Character	Exclusive right-of-way
Track gauge	5 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1,588 mm)
Old gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map Legend French Market Ursulines Street Dumaine Street Toulouse Street Bienville Street Canal Street 47 48 to depot via Canal St Poydras Street Julia Street John Churchill Chase This diagram: view talk edit

The Riverfront Streetcar Line was a historic streetcar line in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). It was built along the east bank of the Mississippi River, in an area with many amenities catering to tourists. It opened August 14, 1988, making it the first new streetcar route in New Orleans in 62 years. The line ran for 2 miles (3.2 km)^[2] from Julia Street at the upper end of the New Orleans Convention Center to the downriver (far) end of the French Quarter at the foot of Esplanade Avenue. Unlike the other three lines, it traveled on an exclusive right-of-way, along the river levee beside New Orleans Belt Railway tracks, making it more akin to a light rail line. The line was regauged in 1997 from standard gauge to broad gauge. Officially, the Riverfront Line was designated Route 2 and is designated with a blue color on most RTA publications. In the aftermath of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse on Canal Street and with construction of the Four Seasons Hotel causing part of the line to be put out of service, the line was merged with the Loyola-UPT line in 2021 to create the Rampart–St. Claude Streetcar Line, designated as Route 49.