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Milwaukee streetcar extension, new route
The first new route extension of Milwaukee's Hop streetcar is about to open for passenger service. It will be called the L-Line – short for Lakefront Line.
MILWAUKEE - The first new route extension of Milwaukee's Hop streetcar is about to open for passenger service. It will be called the L-Line – short for Lakefront Line.
The new L-Line is set to open for riders on Sunday, Oct. 29. It will take you to the Lakefront. But you won’t be able to get off there. It’s purely a site-seeing tour for now. That is because the Couture high rise is still under construction.
The Hop Lakefront Line (L-Line)
On Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 11, Milwaukee Department of Public Works officials gave members of the media a preview of the new L-Line route. The train goes right through the construction zone and then comes right back out. Nobody is allowed to get off.
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Initially, the route will run only on Sundays. DPW Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke says there are two reasons for that.
"To provide as much access as soon as possible, even though it’s only one day, but it’s also to get familiar with our operators that operate the streetcar. It’s also to get people familiar with seeing the streetcar on Michigan, seeing the street on Clybourn," Kruschke said.
DPW Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke
Why start passenger service on Oct. 29? FOX6 Investigators say there is something the DPW Commissioner is not telling you. Because of the repeated construction delays, Milwaukee is in danger of losing a 2015 federal TIGER grant. President Biden signed a one-year extension for the grant last year, but that only gives the city until Oct. 31, 2023, to get passengers on the L-Line. If they do not, the city could lose $1.4 million.
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For the next six months at least, you can enjoy a Sunday ride to nowhere on the Hop.