Maintenance Issues Reduce The Hop’s Schedule
Second time this year the streetcar system will operate with reduced schedule.
Milwaukee’s streetcar system will be operating on a reduced schedule starting Wednesday because of maintenance issues with two of the vehicles and the equipment used to service them.
Two of The Hop’s five vehicles currently need “routine wheel maintenance,” but some of the equipment needed to perform that work is out of service. According to a spokesperson, vehicle jacks used to lift the 40-ton streetcars are not working.
The system will operate on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., reduced from 5 a.m. to midnight. On weekends it will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., reduced from 7 a.m. to midnight.
And during hours it is operating, the system will operate less frequently, with 20-minute headways (one vehicle passes a station every 20 minutes). The system currently operates with 15-minute headways on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.; this is done by adding a third vehicle to what is normally a two-vehicle operation.
It’s the second time this year that The Hop has operated with reduced frequency. The system operated with only 20-minute headways from Dec. 27 to March 7 because of “the impact of COVID-19” on the system staff.
The 40-ton, 66-foot-long streetcar vehicles, made by Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment Corp., were delivered in 2018. The vehicles are expected to last 30 years. The city purchased the fifth vehicle in anticipation of the lakefront line extension, but that extension has been repeatedly delayed because it requires the base of The Couture tower to be finished. The high-rise building is now slated for a fall 2023 opening.
The 2022 city budget calls for $4.6 million to be spent on operating the streetcar system. That expense is to be offset by $1.44 million in direct revenue, with the remainder coming from the city’s parking revenue. Direct revenue sources include Potawatomi Hotel & Casino ($833,333), other sponsors and a federal grant ($214,000). Transdev’s contract includes a provision for payment based on service hours provided, so a reduction in service would save the city money.
Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson has endorsed expanding the system while campaigning for mayor. His opponent Robert Donovan has been a long-standing critic of the system.
More about the Milwaukee Streetcar
For more project details, including the project timeline, financing, route and possible extensions, see our extensive past coverage.
- Streetcar Confronts Limited Funding, Operations Challenges - Evan Casey - Jan 22nd, 2025
- Council Kills Streetcar’s ‘Festivals Line’ - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 31st, 2024
- Streetcar Will Use Festivals-Oriented Route Through Summer - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 9th, 2024
- The Hop’s Lines Will Merge For Easier Summerfest Service - Jeramey Jannene - May 30th, 2024
- Streetcar Begins Daily Service To The Couture, BRT Will Soon Follow - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 11th, 2024
- Milwaukee’s Three Streetcar Extensions Need Mayoral Direction - Jeramey Jannene - Nov 8th, 2023
- Transportation: Streetcar Extension Opens Sunday - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 28th, 2023
- Ride Along On Streetcar Extension Before It Opens - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 11th, 2023
- Lakefront Streetcar Extension Opens October 29 - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 22nd, 2023
- Streetcar Ridership Has Climbed For 27 Straight Months Year-Over-Year - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 28th, 2023
Read more about Milwaukee Streetcar here
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Why are they running a 2 vehicle schedule _and_ cutting service hours to perform overnight maintenance?
I understand one or the other, but keeping a spare vehicle in the garage all day and cutting service hours seems excessive.
So in the end this trolly pushed by Barrett appears to be a financial anchor for the city of Milwaukee. Thanks barret
This makes no sense. Reducing hours won’t help them fix their jack any sooner. And since they still have 3 operational vehicles, there’s no reason they can’t put all 3 on the road. Headways shouldn’t take a hit unless/until one of the 3 remaining vehicles also runs into trouble.
Does anybody know how they switch drivers? When a driver’s shift ends, does he drive his vehicle into the garage while the new driver drives another from the garage, OR does the new guy just walk up to the streetcar while it lays over on 4th Street?
If switching drivers means a new vehicle goes out, that that could be why they don’t want to use 3 vehicles at once. (But if that’s the case, it sounds like bad management on Transdev’s part.)