New Orleans Regional Transit Authority

The Regional Transit Authority or RTA, is the public transport company of the city of New Orleans and the surrounding area. It was founded in 1983. The company operates bus and tram lines.

Tram

The tram from New Orleans was opened on January 13, 1835; she is the oldest in the world, which still exists today. This path, however, was still steaming and was operated until 1895 electrified. In the following years, numerous steam and horse trams were opened. 1893 opened the St. Louis Car Company 's first electric train. Until the 1920s, the network grew to a length of over 300 kilometers. 1922 all lanes were the newly founded New Orleans Public Service Inc., NOPSI briefly summarized. All lines were given to 1929 the 1,587 mm broad gauge used in the city.

From this time, however, increased competition from buses. The complete network was set up on an 11 -kilometer remnant. This section owes its survival solely to the fact that it runs completely on its own roadbed and thus does not affect the individual transport. This path leads inter alia, by Canal Street, which is frequented sechsgleisig in the heyday of the streetcar. Nonetheless meets the railway in 2002 still with around 20,000 passengers an important role in public transport in the city.

In 1983, the Regional Transit Authority New Orleans ( NORTA ) was founded. At that time, a new shopping mall ( River Walk ) was built on the Mississippi. Plans involved, this to include, inter alia by means of a train to the city. On 14 August 1988, the new, single-track line was opened. Since the railway tracks of the railroad used, it is standard gauge unlike the other route. As more passengers used the railway as expected, arrived on August 30, 1990 Add a second track. From 1996 to the train began to 1,587 mm switch tracks. On 6 September 1997, the operation with the standard gauge set and the broad gauge was put into operation on 13 December 1997. At the same time the construction of a junction railway was begun, which was completed in 2004.