Little Rock streetcars return with improvements

FILE — The Rock Region METRO Streetcar rolls down Main Street in North Little Rock in this May 26, 2017 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo.
FILE — The Rock Region METRO Streetcar rolls down Main Street in North Little Rock in this May 26, 2017 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo.

Rock Region Metro will resume its free-fare streetcar service Tuesday in Little Rock.

The Pulaski County transit agency resumed streetcar service in North Little Rock on June 1.

The Metro streetcar operates daily, except on holidays, and boarding is allowed at designated stops that can be found on the Metrotrack mobile application.

The streetcar service was suspended for more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but agency officials said in a news release Friday they felt it was time to resume.

The transit agency used the time to make changes to better match service with demand and offer more convenience to riders, according to a news release.

Monday through Thursday operating hours now start at 10:45 a.m. while Friday and Saturday operating hours remain in place until midnight. Sunday service span is largely unchanged, the agency said.

The Green Line, which had served the Little Rock stops only, was suspended so the Blue Line, which serves both Little Rock and North Little Rock, could receive a schedule overhaul that speeds up streetcar stop arrivals to every 20 minutes, Rock Region said.

Streetcar service in Little Rock was delayed in part because of ongoing construction related to Interstate 30. That work will prevent the streetcar system resuming service to the Clinton Presidential Center until December 2024, Rock Region said.

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