The Tram – It’s Back?

At The WIRE’s Thursday night press deadline, there was no day and hour officially promised for the restarting of Tramway service after four months of outage. But, at Thursday night’s Town Meeting, City Councilmember Jessica Lappin said it could be back in service on Saturday.

By the time you read this, in short, the Tram could be operating again. (Updates via WIRE e-mail bulletin; see ComingUp, page 3.)

Much of Thursday was spent in testing, confirming results of tests done after installation of a new main motor and the loading of survival supplies against the possibility of another half-day stranding such as occurred April 18. The supplies even include water, blankets, and a portable toilet – just in case.

Meanwhile, the Tram and its towers have been spruced up and repainted, and the name on the cabins, "The Tram," seems to have been tossed overboard in favor of a logo reading "RIOC." (See RIRA Column)

For Islanders, who’ve been suffering with subway diversions and a somewhat randomized Red Bus schedule, the return of the three-decade-old system will be a welcome return to normality.