Milwaukee streetcar electrical switches fail due to snow, salt | FOX6 Milwaukee
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Milwaukee streetcar electrical switches fail due to snow, salt

By
Published  February 20, 2025 3:54pm CST
Transportation
FOX6 News Milwaukee

Milwaukee streetcar electrical switches fail

Winter weather and all that comes with it is wreaking havoc on Milwaukee's downtown streetcar system.

The Brief

    • Milwaukee's downtown streetcar system has been having issues during the winter months.
    • Snow and salt are causing electrical switches to short out.
    • Officials hope to replace the switches once the weather dries out. Each switch costs roughly $100,000.

MILWAUKEE - Winter weather and all that comes with it is wreaking havoc on Milwaukee's downtown streetcar system.

What's at issue?

What we know:

The city's Department of Public Works (DPW) said snow and salt are causing electrical switches to short out – and that is causing repeated service shutdowns. 

The Hop streetcar

Each time a shutdown happens, DPW officials said they have to inspect and clean out the switches before they can safely resume the streetcar's operation. 

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DPW Finance Manager Chuck Schumacher told a Common Council committee on Thursday, Feb. 20 they hope to replace the malfunctioning switches when the weather dries out – but only if they can come up with the money. 

Schumacher said the replacement switches cost about $100,000 each. 

The Source: The information in this post was gathered from the Milwaukee Department of Public Works and the city's Public Works Committee.


 

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