1st vehicle of Milwaukee's streetcar set to arrive; hiring process underway

MILWAUKEE -- Like it or hate it, it is coming. The first vehicle of the Milwaukee streetcar will be rolling into the city in about a week, but don't expect to become a passenger until the fall.

"They are currently doing some demolition and rail work at the corner of Milwaukee and Kilbourn ," said Patrick Flaherty, project representative.

Rail work on Broadway and Kilbourn is next, and will wrap up this spring. The city's downtown streetcar committee is most excited about the March 26 arrival of the first streetcar vehicle.

"Sixty years to the month since streetcar service ended in Milwaukee," said Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman.

The other four streetcar vehicles will start arriving monthly in June. It will be about two weeks from its arrival before the first one will get on the track -- traveling between 4th Street and St. Paul Avenue -- to Plankinton and St. Paul Avenues.

"We have to put 1,000 kilometers on the vehicle for testing. So it's a lot of up and down, back and forth," said Darrell Simpson, Milwaukee streetcar general manager.

Vehicle testing along the entire route will start in June or July. During the testing period, the streetcar cannot accept passengers.

"Just to make sure everything is running the way it was designed and constructed," said Korban.

Hiring will be taking place while all that is being done; nine jobs are already posted on the streetcar website.

"The operator hiring process will start on or about late April, early May," said Simpson.

Once the first vehicle arrives on March 26, there will be a formal unveiling event for the public to come and see it.

When might you actually get to ride on the streetcar? The projection is November.