TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two of Tucson’s streetcars hit each other and derailed over the weekend. Sunlink says it can operate with the six street cars that are not in the repair shop. But some of the repair parts are not easy to get off the shelf.
The weekday schedule for the SunLink street car system calls for streetcars every 10 to 15 minutes.
On this weekday afternoon a tracking app showed 5 street cars running on a loop that’s just under four miles.
On Saturday, two streetcars collided on 4th Avenue. Video shows one streetcar cut deep into the other. Tucson Police say the impact derailed both streetcars and left four people with minor injuries. With just eight streetcars, that impact damaged one-quarter of the entire fleet.
“I feel like I’m on the streetcar all the time.”
Luke Felix-Rose is like a lot of U of A students who use the street car to get to class, to work and back home. He wants to be sure the system stays on time, and safe.
“Who wants to be in a tram crash? I sure don’t and I hope that’s not a risk I have to deal with.”
Sunlink does not have a history of frequent accidents. The company says this crash is still under investigation but it can continue normal service while it repairs the damaged cars.
SunLink can not just call the street car company and order all the repair parts it needs. The company that built the street cars went out of business after it delivered Tucson’s fleet. Some parts are fairly generic and easy to get but other parts will have to be built to order.
Adriana Soto wants a smooth running streetcar to help keep her life on track.
“I live right in front of this link because it’s kind of convenient, just a two minute walk from where I am and my friends will take it from my sorority house to downtown to have dinner with my friends.”
Businesses depend on the streetcars too. Development boomed along the streetcar route since the streetcars started running about eleven years ago.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
