NEW ORLEANS — At Bloody Mary’s Haunted Museum, Tours, and Shop in New Orleans, Samantha Scibilia is used to explaining a lot.
“As far as just in the shop, people ask about the voodoo dolls,” said Scibilia.
Just outside the shop on N. Rampart Street people, especially tourists, often ask her about something else.
“We’ve had to explain to people over and over again, ‘No, I’m sorry, I know you can see the line there, but it’s not operational right now,’” said Scibilia. “The tourists don’t quite understand that.”
That line is for the N. Rampart-St. Claude Streetcars that connect the Central Business District to the Marigny. It’s been out of service since the deadly Hard Rock Hotel building collapse almost four and a half years ago.
“It’s sad that it’s been gone for so long,” said Scibilia.
Getting streetcars back on the tracks has been delayed multiple times. The Regional Transit Authority has pointed to staffing changes, repair issues, and lack of needed supplies as reasons why.
Back in November, the RTA projected the line would finally reopen after Mardi Gras. That was February 13th.
“Infrastructure is not a sexy word as one of my professors used to say,” said Scibilia. “It takes a lot more to get that reopened, I guess.”
Monday, electrical crews were at the intersection of Canal and N. Rampart Streets working on some of that infrastructure. A worker told WWL Louisiana they were working on overhead lines.
When asked whether reopening the streetcar line would be pushed back again, an RTA spokesman said he’d have to check with rail maintenance crews. As of late Monday, we had not heard back.
“It’s going to be great,” said Scibilia. “I’m excited to get to put people on the streetcar again.”
Knowing how useful the streetcar was for locals and tourists, Scibilia says it’ll be worth it even through the delays.
“It was really easy for folks to either come to the museum or leave the museum, you know, hop on the streetcar, get back to Canal and go about your business,” said Scibilia.
While the streetcars are not operating along the North Rampart-St. Claude line, RTA buses have been operational.
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