Streetcars - aka trolley cars - have been obsolete since the 1920s. But cities are still building or expanding existing trolley lines because idiotic city planners think they're trendy. Streetcar lines cost taxpayers $25-50 million per mile to construct and carry relatively few passengers. Operational costs average seven times the fares charged.
Philadelphia has had trolley cars since the late 1890s and there are rails and infrastructure throughout the city (and some suburbs). Mr. O'Toole noted that Philadelphia "carried 45% of all streetcar riders in the country." But, despited in-place infrastructure and over a century of experience, fares collected cover only 39% of operating costs.
On my last visit to the USA I stayed in Houston and found the street car trolley system brilliant and very well patronized. Infact it was one of the best things about Houston.
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