Another Streetcar Collision

It’s a bad month to be a 67-foot-long, 83,000-pound vehicle.

A motorist collided with a northbound The Hop streetcar on N. Jackson Street Friday afternoon at E. Street St.

The nine-foot-wide streetcars, which operate on fixed tracks in the roadway and are approximately 11 feet tall, have become frequent targets lately.

On June 16, an apparent red-light runner struck a streetcar at N. Milwaukee and E. Wells St.

The latest incident, which occurred shortly before 5 p.m., briefly delayed the system before the streetcar began operating again. A large dent was visible on the sedan involved in the crash. A Milwaukee Police Department officer was on the scene.

The Hop is currently operating in a combined Festivals Line configuration due to Summerfest. The large lakefront festival draws a substantial increase in ridership for the system.

The city has a fleet of five streetcars from Brookville Equipment Corp.

The most severe crash in the system’s nearly seven-year history occurred in 2023, when a westbound garbage truck ran a red light and knocked a streetcar off the tracks. The vehicle was out of service for several months.