On Sunday, Mayor Dwight Jones introduced RVAgreen, Richmond’s plan for sustainable urban development in the years ahead. Fifty-five suggestions are included in the proposal including everything from bike sharing to a city beautification program. The most captivating and dramatic proposal in the plan is the resurrection of Richmond’s trolley system.
Richmond was the first city in the world to operate a successful electric trolley system. The trolley was wildly successful in its time, spurring on development through new parks and neighborhoods and changing the face of the city forever. Sadly, trolley service, which began in 1887, ended in 1942 and has been legend ever since.
For decades, Richmonders have dreamt and talked about the trolleys and the potential for their reinstatement. Light rail has also been tossed around as a way to revive the glory of Richmond’s mass transit past. These conversations, formerly relegated to the back booths of smoky restaurants, may now be seeing the light of day.
RVAgreen mentions a revived trolley system serving the densest part of Richmond. However, the discussion of trolleys is relegated to a single paragraph. The plan theorizes that these attractive, fixed-line routes would be easy to navigate for tourists and commuters alike and spur economic development and sustainable urban growth.
A full digital copy of the RVAgreen plan is linked to below. The trolley section is on page 33.
RVAGreen_ARoadmapToSustainability.pdf
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