Madison Trolley Woes Go Virtually Unnoticed by Public

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - While the whistles of the downtown trolleys continue to blow, one important piece of that $56 million transportation system has been silent for months. Riders of the Madison Trolley Line have been given a new option since problems surfaced that forced the route to remain shut down for the past four months.

On the signs plastered all along the Madison Trolley line, MATA boasts, "More connections. More Memphis."

But, unless my old eyes deceive me, the mode of transportation now labeled the Madison Trolley looks a lot like a bus instead of an electric-powered choo-choo. If you're not a regular rider of the leisurely service that winds its way from downtown Main Street through the Medical District to an inglorious circular end just past Cleveland, then you're probably not aware it hasn't been in operation since Mid-September.

"We shut the line down on September 13th and replaced the trolleys with busses," said Allison Burton with MATA. "The ridership has been around 25,000 since that time."

"We discovered that the trolley system was affecting our underground services, gas mainly and electric, and we worked with MATA," said Glen Thomas with MLGW. "We decided to suspend the trolley service until we could repair our services."

The trolley's line's disappearance and the public's apparent lack of recognition that it's even been on the blink maybe emblematic of how the eight-stop route has failed to live up to the projections of major success when it opened for service in March 2004.

At the time, MATA officials were hoping the $56 million construction would be the answer to what they perceived as the growing demand for the transportation needs centered around the Medical Center District.

In its first year in operation, MATA reported 183,000 passengers opted to use the Madison line, a figure has not been matched since. The problem which caused the shutdown included electric emissions coming from the trolleys to connecting power lines. But, at no time before the service was disrupted was there any danger to riders, nor from any MLGW underground gas lines running under the trolleys tracks.

According to City of Memphis CAO George Little, "It is the intent to reopen the line, of course, and it will be at least several more weeks before all the problems are corrected on the line."

"It's been longer than we expected originally," said Burton. "But, it's important for us to make sure that public safety is priority."

While no dollar figure has been placed on the repairs to the Madison Trolley, CAO Little noted it will be "expensive" to correct.