Public Invited to Hop on Board The Hop at Streetcar Open House
Event features behind-the-scenes access to new streetcar maintenance facility, music and more

The Hop’s first vehicle making its inaugural trip to the maintenance facility. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
MILWAUKEE – The entire community is invited to get a first glimpse at the future of transit in Milwaukee at an open house for The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, on Friday, June 8, 2018. This free event will provide a unique opportunity for the general public to go inside The Hop, Milwaukee’s new streetcar system that is slated to begin passenger service this fall.
The Hop open house will run from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the streetcar maintenance facility, located under the I-794 expressway between North Fourth and Fifth Streets. Public access to the event will be at the northeast corner of the facility near the intersection of N. Fourth and W. Clybourn streets. No advance registration is required to attend.
In addition to the chance to be among the first to step on board and see the interior of the vehicles, attendees will be able to see inside the new streetcar maintenance facility and learn about streetcar safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. The Hop streetcar will be stationary during the event, with an ADA-compliant temporary platform to provide access to the vehicle.
Two of five vehicles for The Hop have already arrived in Milwaukee from Brookville, Penn.-based Brookville Equipment Corp., with the remaining three vehicles set to be delivered in the coming months. The Hop vehicles are already undergoing on-street testing along a closed portion of W. St. Paul Ave., and will begin testing along the entire route this summer. For more information regarding The Hop, visit thehopmke.com.
The public is expected to first be able to ride The Hop in November. Rides will be free for the first year, thanks to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s generous 12-year, $10 million sponsorship deal.
More about the Milwaukee Streetcar
For more project details, including the project timeline, financing, route and possible extensions, see our extensive past coverage.
- Plats and Parcels: Lakefront Streetcar Extension Scheduled for June 2022 Opening - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 6th, 2020
- Transportation: Should Milwaukee Stop The Hop? - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 13th, 2020
- Transportation: The Hop Now Wears a Mask - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 18th, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Is A Couture Deal Finally Coming? - Jeramey Jannene - May 13th, 2020
- Transportation: SUV Driver Runs Into The Hop - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 28th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Kiosks Could Bring In $500,000 Annually - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 20th, 2020
- Thanks A Million, Hop Riders! - The Hop - Feb 19th, 2020
- Transportation: We Energies Will Sponsor Streetcar - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 10th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Ridership Up in January Versus 2019 - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 7th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Ridership Up in December - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 14th, 2020
Read more about Milwaukee Streetcar here