King Street Trolley Expansion Project Hits Bump

The Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project appears to be in jeopardy.

After City Council approved a route from King Street Metro to Arlandria in June, the city’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services issued a formal request on Oct. 4 for proposals to operate the line.

According to a Nov. 16 report from City Manager Rashad Young, the city publicized the request and held a meeting for interested investors. However, no bids had been submitted when the request period closed on Oct. 31.

The city opted to have a contractor operate the Del Ray-Arlandria line instead of DASH, which operates the King Street Trolley. The city used a contractor to operate the King Street line until April, when its new hybrid trolleys went into service and operations were placed in the hands of the city's transit company.

When the request for proposals for the King Street Trolley was issued in 2008, just one bid was received.

“Today’s weaker economic climate and the nature of this initiative as a pilot project may have contributed to the lack of bids on the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley,” the manager’s report reads.

T&ES staff is exploring options to move forward with the trolley service into Del Ray and Arlandria. Those options could be discussed at a community meeting on Thursday night to address transportation issues in the Del Ray area.