Main Street Line (MATA Trolley)

The Main Street Line is a line of the Memphis Area Transit Authority trolley system. It began operations in 1993, becoming the first streetcar line to operate in Memphis since 1947.^[3] It runs for about 2 mi (3.2 km) along Main Street, with 14 stops in Downtown Memphis. The Main Street Line is concurrent with the Riverfront Loop for almost all of its length.^[4]

Main Street Line
The Civic Center Plaza station with its clock tower.
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Termini	Butler Avenue North End Terminal
Stations	14
Service
Type	Heritage streetcar
System	MATA Trolley
Operator(s)	Memphis Area Transit Authority
History
Opened	April 29, 1993 (1993-04-29)[1][2]
Technical
Line length	2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Track length	3.7 mi (6.0 km)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Overhead lines
Route map Legend Maintenance Facility Riverfront Loop North End Terminal Overton I-40 Convention Center Civic Center Plaza Jefferson Street Court Madison Avenue Line Madison Union Peabody Place Beale Street Dr. M.L. King Jr. Huling Butler Riverfront Loop Central Station This diagram: view talk edit

Route description

The Main Street Line begins in the South Main Arts District at Butler Avenue. From here it runs north past major attractions such as the National Civil Rights Museum and Beale Street. At Peabody Place, Main Street becomes a pedestrian mall allowing the trolley full right-of-way. On the Main Street Mall, the line passes through the heart of downtown Memphis, passing Court Square, the Civic Center Plaza, and the Cook Convention Center. At Madison Avenue, the tracks connect with the Madison Avenue Line, though the two lines to not have connecting routes. The mall ends at Exchange Street in front of the convention center, whereby the trolley continues north to the North End Terminal on Shadyac Avenue. The terminal provides connections with the MATA bus system. For the entirety of its route, the Main Street line has a double track, with cars operating in both directions.

In February 2021, MATA opened a new stop in front of Memphis Central Station. Construction of the new stop was funded through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant from TDOT.^[5]

List of trolley stops

South Main Arts District to North End Terminal

Stop	Other trolley line(s)	Notes
Central Station		Memphis Central Station
Butler		South Main Arts District, Blues Hall of Fame
Huling		South Main Arts District, National Civil Rights Museum
Dr. ML King Jr.		Formerly "Linden" for the cross street FedExForum, Halloran Center
Beale Street		Beale Street, Elvis Presley Plaza, Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, Orpheum Theatre
Peabody Place		Peabody Place, Belz Museum
Union		88 Union Tower, AutoZone Park, One Commerce Square
Court		North Court (northbound), South Court (southbound) Court Square, Falls Building, Fire Museum, Raymond James Tower
Jefferson		Stop is southbound only 200 Jefferson tower, 88 North Main building
Civic Center Plaza		City Hall, Shelby County Courthouse
Convention Center		Cannon Center, Memphis-Cook Convention Center
Overton		Pinch District
North End		North End Terminal transit center

References

1. May, Jack (November 1993). "Memphis: Trolleys Roll Again". Passenger Train Journal. Interurban Press. pp. 40–48. ISSN 0160-6913.
2. Scott, Don (Summer 1993). "Metamorphosis on Main Street". The New Electric Railway Journal. pp. 14–16. Retrieved January 31, 2023 – via American Public Transportation Association.
3. Huston, Jerry (April 22, 1993). "Trolley rumbles to life in city – Line readied for comeback downtown". The Commercial Appeal.
4. "MATA Trolley Service". Memphis Area Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
5. "South Main shop owners ready for new trolley station to open this weekend". WREG.com. 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-10-29.