Trolley, Memphis

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The current system of restored trolley cars, many of which came from Portugal, was completed in 1993. This 2.5 mile, mostly dual track system follows the path of its mule-drawn 19th century trolley that was dismantled in the 1940's in favor of diesel buses. The route runs mostly along Main Street from Auction Avenue to G.E. Patterson Avenue. The Riverfront Loop trolley’s features unique views of the Mississippi River, a competing contrast to New Orleans street car system, which hides behind a levee. The Madison Avenue trolley line gives riders access to Midtown and medical facilities. The old trolleys have been faithfully restored to their original elegance, including solid brass seat and window ornamentation, rare “glue-chip” glass transom windows, hand-carved mahogany corbels, and antique lighting fixtures.

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) also has a complex system of diesel buses. The website provides a phone number for customer service, which I used. Unfortunately, I found the MATA representative I talked rather short on knowledge and unable to provide street addresses for bus stops. In the conversation I had, I was expected to know more about Memphis than I did. There was at least a live person available on the phone though.

So, I didn't get a chance to ride the trolley this time around, and only got these fleeting images as it passed by.

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It's a trolley. Early form of a Subway or Metro. Runs on the street stopping at set locations to pickup and drop-off passengers. It does has limited reach. It runs from South Memphis (Central Station) north for about 2 miles on Main Street. Some of the trolleys, loop around at the north end, and come south along the river, providing access to riverfront locations. Main Street has two-directions for the trolley's, north to south and south to north. It's one-way on the riverfront, north to south, so you'll have to do complete circles to get to and from a Main Street location using the Riverfront trolley.

Districts served include Pinch District, Memphis Cook Convention Center, Beale Street, Orpheum Theater and National Civil Rights Museum. There is a branch going out to the medical district (2010)

Main Street Trolley - GE Paterson (South Main Historic District) - 6 blocks -> Downtown (Beale St - Madison) 5 blocks -> Government Center (Court - Winchester) - 9 blocks -> Pinch Historic District - 4 blocks.

Riverfront Trolley - Willis (Pinch Hist Dist) 7 blocks to Mud Island Monorail - 3 blocks to Riverboats - 12 blocks to Central Station. Then the trolley follows Main Street back to the north end.

Medical District - Madison at Main east on Madison through district called the Edge to the Medical Center.

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I love trollies!

If you plan on seeing several sights in Downtown Memphis or you are centralizing yourself there, you cannot go wrong with using the MATA Trolley or Bus Service. I drove to the North End Terminal, a hub which serves both trollies and buses. The parking there was free. I bought two all-day trolley passes there. You can buy 1-2-or-3 day passes from the trolley operators, but if you want to buy the monthly passes you would have to go to the North End Terminal (between Auction and Overton on Main St, just north of I-40).

Once you board the trolley, you place your brand new pass in the change machine and it time stamps it. You only have to do that once and any time after that, you just show the pass to the operator.

We really were not pressed for time so we did not pay attention to the accuracy of their time schedules. I felt that they were pretty consistent and we did not have to spend more that 10-12 minutes for a trolley at any given time.

Some trolley stops did have seating, but other stops were no more than a glorified awning to shield you from the elements (i.e. civic center stop - it's pretty don't get me wrong...but come on...where are the seats?).

Our experience with the trolley operators and their assistants were great. They were helpful with questions and always called out the next stop. Some even have brochures of museums, popular sights and trolley stops (always helpful if you can't print it off from their website)

I think there are stop pulls on the trollies, but you know...I always call out "yep, that's me" or yelled "thank you".

Trolley Base Fare $1.00
Senior and Disabled Fare $0.50
Lunchtime Fare All Riders
(11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) $0.50
Transfer to Fixed Route Bus $1.50
2-Ride Trolley Pass $1.50
Daily Pass $3.50
3-Day Pass $8.00

Operators do not make change...so be prepared!!

A more concise list of trolley fares are on the MATA Website.

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The Memphis Area Transit Authority operates three downtown lines of vintage street cars or trolleys. They are a great way to get around to many of the sights in and around the downtown area and also just to take to get nice views of the Mississippi River. The trolley fleet is mostly made up of restored Portuguese and Australian street cars some dating back to 1909. They look brand spanking new and are very attractive. Fares are $1.00 per ride or you can get a 2-trip pass for $1.50, a one-day pass for $3.50, or a 3-day pass for $8.00. There are also other pricing options and discounts for seniors and persons with disabilities.

Service is pretty extensive as well. All three lines operate 7 days a week with the more popular Riverfront and Main Street lines running every 10 minutes. Go to the website to get the details on schedule. This website also has a nice write-up on the history of this restored line: http://world.nycsubway.org/us/memphis/

These are really old, but you can tell they're maintained very regularly. They look completely new on the inside, freshly polished and all. More or less everywhere they go is within walking distance, but when you're sick of walking and are willing to cough up $1, you'll be taken wherever you want and still get a good view.

NOTE: Coming into Memphis, several Memphians told me the trolleys are $0.75. That was absolutely not my experience. They're a full dollar. So don't worry too much about having quarters.

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There are two trolley lines in Memphis. One is a circle which goes along Riverfront and around to Main. In the middle of Main, you can transfer to the Madison Street Trolley.

We got off at Madison. There was no trolley stop station for transferring to the Madison car, but eventually, one came and we transferred. The main feature of the Madison car was going by the Wonderbread bakery, which you can tell by smell alone. At the end of the line, we paid again (another $1.00) and got another transfer. We picked up a lady in a wheelchair when we went over Presley Blvd on the way back

What could beat riding through downtown on a trolley? The Memphis Area Transit Authority operates the Main Street Trolley, a heritage-type streetcar system. They connect you to great restaurants, shops, downtown hotels, attractions and events.

You can travel from the Pyramid Arena and the Pinch District, to Beale Street, the South Main Arts District, Peabody Place Mall, the FedExForum, AutoZone Park, the Riverfront and alot more. And now with the addition of the Madison Avenue Line, downtown is connected to the Medical District.

Admission:
Exact fare is required. Operators do not make change.
Trolley base fare: $0.60
Senior and disabled fare: $0.30
Lunch fare: 11:00am-1:30pm: $0.30
Transfer to fixed-route bus: $1.35
Pass discounts:
2-trip pass: $1.00
All-day pass: $2.50
3-day pass: $6.00
31-day pass: $15.00

Hours of operation:
Main Street & Riverfront Line: Monday-Thursday 6am-11:30pm / Friday 6am-1am
Saturday 9:30am-1am / Sunday 10am-6pm
Madison Avenue Line: Monday-Friday 6am-11:45pm (Trolley runs every 25 minutes)
Saturday 6am-1am (Trolley runs every 15 minutes)
Sunday 8:30am-6:30pm (Trolley runs every 25 minutes)

Antique trolleys service the downtown area, including the Pyramid, Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Cook Convention Center, Memphis Queen riverboats, the Tennessee Visitor's Welcome Center, Auto Zone park and more. The trolleys are a nice way to see the city if you don't want to walk. You can take the Riverfront Loop trolley that runs alongside of the Mississippi River, with nice views of the Hernando Desoto bridge, the Pyramid, Mud Island, and other attractions.

The cost is $0.60 during regular operating hours and only $0.30 during lunchtime
(11:00 am - 1:30pm)

Regular Hours:
Monday - Thursday 6:00- 11:30pm
Friday - 6:00am - 1:00am
Saturday - 9:00am - 1:00am
Sunday - 10:00am - 6:00pm

Check the website below for more details.