Little Rock River Rail

River Rail Trolley festooned for winter holidays. Photo by Phil Frana.

Interior of a River Rail streetcar. Photo by yng883 on flickr.

The Little Rock River Rail comprises three separate electric trolley lines connecting major tourist destinations in the Little Rock River Market District of Little Rock, Arkansas, the Argenta Historic District of North Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Center, and downtown hotels. The River Rail is administered by the Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CATA) and officially opened for public service on November 1, 2004. Little Rock is one of only ten cities in the country with an active electric trolley rail system.

There are currently 14 stops along the River Rail route:

• 1. Main at 5th
• 2. Main at 7th
• 3. Maple at 6th
• 4. Maple at Broadway
• 5. Alltel Plaza Stop at 120 Main Street
• 6. Main Street Bridge Stop
• 7. President Clinton Avenue at Commerce
• 8. Commerce at 3rd Street
• 9. Clinton Presidential Center/Heifer International (World Avenue at 3rd)
• 10. 3rd at Commerce
• 11. Historic Arkansas Museum stop (2nd at Scott)
• 12. 2nd at Center
• 13. West Markham at Spring
• 14. The Peabody Little Rock Stop (Markham at Scott)

Fares for the River Rail are as follows: $1.00 for persons aged 12 to 64. Fifty cents for those aged 5 through 11, for the disabled, and for senior citizens. Free for those children aged 4 and under. Exact change is required. A 20-ride card costs $15.00. A day pass costs $2.00, and a three-day pass $5.00. Day passes for riding the River Rail can be purchased at the following locations:

• Capital Hotel - corner of Markham & Louisiana (Little Rock)
• Main Library - 100 Rock Street (Little Rock)
• Courtyard-Little Rock Downtown - 521 President Clinton Avenue (Little Rock)
• Historic Arkansas Museum - 200 East Third Street (Little Rock)
• River Cities Travel Center - 310 East Capitol (Little Rock)
• City Services Building - 120 Main Street (North Little Rock)
• Baker House Bed & Breakfast - 109 West Fifth Street (North Little Rock)
• Argenta Bead Company - 703 Main Street (North Little Rock)

The construction cost of Phase 1 of the trolley system was $19.6 million, of which eighty percent was paid by federal grants. Phase 2 incorporated the Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International headquarters into the trolley route with 2,600 more feet of track. Phase 2 replaced a temporary rubber-tire bus trolley painted to look like River Rail other streetcars. Phase 3 may include extensions to the Little Rock National Airport, Central High School, or the Arkansas State Capitol.

Streetcar History

The first streetcar service in Little Rock began with mule-drawn trolleys in 1877. The streetcar routes were electrified in the 1890s. Streetcar service ended in the city on Christmas Day 1947.

References

• "CATA Receives $5,977,603 Grant," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 9, 2005.
• Jennifer Barnett Reed, "River Rail: New Trolleys Serve Library Area," Arkansas Times, November 11, 2004.
• Jake Sandlin, "Bid for River Rail Extension OK'd," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, October 19, 2005.
• Shea Stewart, "Who's Riding the Rails?" Syncweekly, December 3, 2008.

External links

• Homepage of the Central Arkansas Transit River Rail System