| Galveston Island Trolley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | City of Galveston |
| Locale | Galveston, Texas |
| Stations | 22 |
| Website | Island Transit |
| Service | |
| Type | Heritage streetcar |
| Services | 1 |
| Operator(s) | Island Transit |
| Rolling stock | 4 Miner Railcar replica trolleys |
| History | |
| Opened | July 23, 1988 |
| Closed | September 2008 |
| Reopened | October 1, 2021 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 6.8 miles (10.9 km) |
| Character | street-running |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Electrification | none |
The Galveston Island Trolley is a heritage streetcar network in Galveston, Texas, United States. As of late 2006, the total network length was 6.8 miles (10.9 km) with 22 stations. The Galveston Island Trolley is operated by Island Transit. The rail system reopened in 2021, after having been out of service for 13 years following severe damage caused by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Subsequent to the 2008 closure, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Transit Administration agreed to fund repairs.[1] In January 2017, a contract was approved to restore three of the trolleys at a cost of $3.8 million.[2] At that time, the trolleys were expected to be ready to return to service in 2018,[3][4] but the date was later postponed to 2019[5] and later to 2021. By November 2020, two reconditioned trolleys had returned to Galveston.[6] The line reopened for service in October 2021, limited to three days a week for now.
- ^ Rhiannon Meyers (January 8, 2010). "FEMA to pay $200 million for infrastructure". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ Samantha Ketterer (January 26, 2017). "On the road again: Galveston City Council approves trolley contract". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ Bryan Kirk (March 24, 2017). "Trolley makes comeback to Galveston Island". Patch.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ Darla Guillen (March 24, 2017). "Trolley-buses to roll into Galveston by Mid-May". www.masstransit.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Tony Brooks, John Wayne Ferguson (September 16, 2018). "Under repair in Iowa, trolleys could roll again in 2019". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Roane, Lee (October 23, 2020). "Shiny Red Historic Trolley 502 Arrives". www.galveston.com. Retrieved November 21, 2020.