The Trolley was unveiled for the media today - pictures and Valley Metro's news release are below.
HELLO, TROLLEY!
The Star Line to Debut Nov. 13
New trolley network to connect downtown Roanoke with Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
New trolley network to connect downtown Roanoke with Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
ROANOKE, Va. (Nov. 12, 2008) – Hop aboard! There’s a new – and free – way to get around.
The Star Line, a new trolley bus with a nostalgic design, debuts Nov. 13 with a weekday loop connecting downtown Roanoke with Carilion Memorial Hospital and stops in between.
With its nostalgic red-and-beige paint to vintage wooden seats, the Star Line, operated by Valley Metro, will run every 10 minutes Mondays through Fridays – and seven minutes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to serve the lunch crowd.
The downtown trolley network aims to provide hospital employees, patients and their families, downtown workers and visitors a convenient alternative to get around without having to drive and find parking.
Carilion employees, for example, will be able to shuttle back and forth between the hospital and other locations such as the downtown Carilion Administrative Services Building, Jefferson College of Health Sciences and the Community Hospital parking garage. They’ll also have a convenient way to visit downtown restaurants and shops.
People who work or live downtown, meanwhile, can be dropped off right at the hospital entrance. “The Star Line fulfills the vision of city leaders and downtown businesses who wanted to increase pedestrian traffic downtown while connecting the downtown core to a growing Carilion campus that will include new offices and Virginia Tech-Carilion Medical School and Research Institute,” says Dave Morgan, general manager of Valley Metro, the bus company that will operate the Star Line.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Star Line as a unique, fun and free transportation alternative,” added Bill Carder, executive director of Downtown Roanoke, Inc. “The trolley will make it much easier to visit and get around downtown, stimulating business at shops, restaurants and vendors in and around the City Market.”
The Star Line is made possible through a partnership that includes Downtown Roanoke, Inc., Carilion Clinic, the City of Roanoke and Valley Metro.
Each of the trolleys features wooden seats with perimeter seating for 31 passengers. This seating style will help to encourage conversation, as people are more inclined to talk to someone sitting across from them than in front or behind.
The trolleys, manufactured by Double K Inc. of Wisconsin, are wheelchair accessible. Inside will be television monitors to promote local events and tourist information.
The continuous loop begins at the downtown Market, heading west on Campbell Avenue before turning south on Jefferson Street, with stops at Kirk and Jefferson, Church and Jefferson, Highland and Jefferson, and Reserve and Jefferson before stopping at the hospital.
The return route goes from the hospital northbound on Jefferson with stops at Reserve and Jefferson, Jefferson College, and Franklin and Jefferson before turning onto Franklin, down Williamson and onto Campbell back to the Market.
Trolley stops are marked by red and yellow signs accented with a star. The Star Line name and logo was developed by tba Public Relations and Advertising of Roanoke.
For more information and to see a route map, please visit www.valleymetro.com or call (540) 982-2222.
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