Free Streetcar Rides In Santa Cruz; Tickets Launch Soon

Santa Cruz CA

29 September, 2021

3:01 PM

Description

SANTA CRUZ, CA — All aboard! The public is invited to a free 45-minute streetcar demonstration Oct. 21 to 24 along a portion of the 22-mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line in the City of Santa Cruz. The event, offered by Roaring Camp Railroads, allows the public a peek inside the all-electric, quiet, clean-energy Coast Futura streetcar during a four-mile trip from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Capitola and back. Tickets will be available online Oct. 1. Another series of rides are planned Oct. 16 to 17 in Watsonville, from the West Beach/Walker Street intersection to Harkins Slough and back. The streetcars will be affordable and are zero-emission, according to a statement from Coast Futura. They were made by California company TIG/m. "The demonstration will also provide a proof-of-concept about what car-free commuting would look like, an important step in discussions about transportation equity for hardworking commuters who are getting to work via a car," Coast Futura said. Demonstrations were authorized by the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission. They were initially slated for spring 2020 but were postponed during the pandemic.