Madison Avenue Line (MATA Trolley)

The Madison Avenue Line is a line of the Memphis Area Transit Authority trolley system. The trolley line began operating in 2004, and cost $56 million to build. It consists of 2.2 mi (3.5 km) of double track along Madison Avenue with six stops stretching into Midtown Memphis. The line was built to connect the Main Street system to the Medical District just east of Downtown Memphis.^[3] Trolley service has been suspended since April 2014, after two trolley cars caught fire within a span of six months. Buses have been serving the line since then, but MATA plans to restore trolley operation to the line eventually.^[1][4]

Madison Avenue Line
Downtown view at Danny Thomas Station
Overview
Status	Suspended since 2014[1]
Locale	Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Termini	Court Square (Main Street) Cleveland Avenue
Stations	7
Service
Type	Heritage streetcar
System	MATA Trolley
Operator(s)	Memphis Area Transit Authority
History
Opened	March 15, 2004 (2004-03-15)[2]
Technical
Line length	2.2 mi (3.5 km)
Track length	4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Overhead lines
Route map Legend Court Main Street Line Riverfront Loop Third Street US 51 Danny Thomas Blvd Danny Thomas Orleans Dunlap Pauline I-240 Inner Beltway Cleveland Avenue This diagram: view talk edit

In 2020, MATA acquired a Siemens–Duewag U2 "modern streetcar" (built in 1988) secondhand from the San Diego Trolley system, and plans to carry out test runs with it on the Madison Avenue Line in 2022, as a step toward a possible reopening of the rail line.^[5][6]

Route description

Beginning at the intersection of Main Street and Madison Avenue, the line heads east. After passing Autozone Park, the trolley crosses over Danny Thomas Boulevard on two rail-specific bridges on either side of the Madison Avenue bridge. The line continues through the Medical District passing through University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus before crossing over I-240 and heading into Midtown. The line terminates just after Cleveland Street in the Crosstown neighborhood.

List of trolley stops

Main Street to Cleveland Avenue

Stop	Other trolley line(s)	Notes
Court	Riverfront Loop   Main Street Line	North Court (eastbound), South Court (westbound) Court Square, Falls Building, Fire Museum, Raymond James Tower
Third Street		Third Street has been renamed B. B. King Boulevard AutoZone Park, First Horizon Bank Tower, Toyota Center
Danny Thomas
Orleans		Sun Studio
Dunlap		Health Sciences Park, Medical Center, UTHSC
Pauline		Medical Center
Cleveland Avenue		Park and ride lot nearby

References

1. Reals, Steffen (December 1, 2022). "Memphians eagerly waiting for trolleys to return to the Madison and Riverfront lines". WATN-TV. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
2. "Systems News [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. May 2004. p. 187. ISSN 1460-8324.
3. "MATA Trolley Service". Memphis Area Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
4. Flyer Staff (May 5, 2021). "The ?s Issue: You had questions. We found answers. – Will the trolleys ever return to the Riverfront Loop or Madison Avenue?". Memphis Flyer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
5. Royer, David; Arthur, Shay (November 3, 2021). "MATA to test 'modern streetcar' on Madison line". WREG-TV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
6. "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. UK: Light Rail Transit Association/Mainspring Ltd. September 2021. pp. 389–390. ISSN 1460-8324.