Comments on: “The great American streetcar scandal” http://newslanc.com/2009/09/01/the-great-american-streetcar-scandal/ News, Comment and Culture for Lancaster County Wed, 23 May 2012 15:27:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://newslanc.com/2009/09/01/the-great-american-streetcar-scandal/comment-page-1/#comment-9435 Anonymous Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:48:16 +0000 http://newslanc.com/?p=8968#comment-9435 Ahh, but the 10% of remaining transit systems were the ones in the largest cities, where if not for the "Conspiracy" they may still be operating today. Luckily, the "conspiracy" spared a few cities, such as Boston, Mass. Several of Boston's streetcar lines from the early part of the 1900s survive to this day in the form of the MBTA Green Line and the Ashmont-Mattapan Branch of the MBTA Red Line. The Ashmont-Mattapan trolleys in particular still use 1940s vintage, restored PCC cars, while the Green Line uses modern Light Rail vehicles. So yes, market forces (competition due to automobile) are what killed streetcars in most smaller cities, but the "conspiracy" was what drove the nail into the coffin for the lines which had the best chance of long term survival (and hence, competition to their automobile-based interests). Ahh, but the 10% of remaining transit systems were the ones in the largest cities, where if not for the “Conspiracy” they may still be operating today. Luckily, the “conspiracy” spared a few cities, such as Boston, Mass. Several of Boston’s streetcar lines from the early part of the 1900s survive to this day in the form of the MBTA Green Line and the Ashmont-Mattapan Branch of the MBTA Red Line. The Ashmont-Mattapan trolleys in particular still use 1940s vintage, restored PCC cars, while the Green Line uses modern Light Rail vehicles.

So yes, market forces (competition due to automobile) are what killed streetcars in most smaller cities, but the “conspiracy” was what drove the nail into the coffin for the lines which had the best chance of long term survival (and hence, competition to their automobile-based interests).

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