A streetcar system has been proposed for the city of Long Beach that could connect the Cal State Long Beach campus with downtown Long Beach.
City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal of the 2nd District made the proposal. Lowenthal told the Grunion Gazette that she looked at the streetcar system in Portland, Ore., and thought the system would also be viable for Long Beach.
According to Lowenthal, a study must be conducted before the proposal can be considered by the city council. An outline for the study, how much it will cost, who will conduct it and what kind of study it will be, must be submitted within 30 days.
The study aims to come up with an appropriate line for the streetcar to run on. Lowenthal said she wants the line to go along Broadway Avenue, because there are a lot of “great businesses” on Broadway that people can’t get to because of a lack of parking. Lowenthal said because parking is a problem throughout the city, especially in the 2nd District, the streetcar system could possibly alleviate the demand for parking.
Lowenthal also said conducting the study could cost anywhere between $50,000 and $500,000, with the money to conduct the study possibly coming from city transportation funds.
“We don’t need to do the [expensive] high-end study,” Lowenthal said. Lowenthal added that there is also congressional money that the city could apply for.
The cost of the entire project – if approved – is yet unknown. According to Lowenthal, it will be based on how many miles of track are needed.
While Lowenthal wants the streetcars to connect CSULB to downtown Long Beach, she said there will likely not be a stop directly on campus. Lowenthal said it might stop at Bellflower Boulevard or Seventh Street, but that it likely “would not go to the heart of the campus.”
Lowenthal said that she thinks Portland paid around $6 million for its streetcar system a few years ago. The cost for adding a similar one in Long Beach would most likely be more expensive.
The streetcars are electric trains with cables running above ground, like the streetcars in Portland and San Francisco.
According to Lowenthal, Portland was able to build its streetcar system in two to five years. Should the proposal be accepted by the city and the city commit to the project, Lowenthal said Long Beach streetcars “would be a near future possibility.”
