Streetcars
You will see different types of streetcars making their way through Tampa. There are historic replicas, the Breezer car, and The Birney.
Breezer Car
The Breezer Car is an open-air streetcar where passengers board the seating rows directly from the side of the car. An operator will lower a safety barrier after everyone is seated. This style of streetcar evolved from the flatbed style horse-drawn wagons that provided transport through the city in the 1830s. Fifty of these open-air streetcars ran throughout Tampa as of 1914. There is plenty of room in these streetcars, with a seating capacity of 78 and an additional standing capacity of 10 at each end.
The Birney
The Birney streetcar is iconic as it is the only original streetcar that ran on the original system from 1923 to 1946. Given #163, it is the only restored streetcar operating in Florida. This small piece of history was salvaged from a backyard where it served as a living space and later a storage shed. It took over 10,000 volunteer hours to get the streetcar operational again. It has faithfully run the system since 1991.
Historic Replicas
Nine 400-series replica cars from the Gomaco Trolley Company complete the fleet of streetcars. These bright yellow cars look similar to the original double truck Birney cars that operated from the 1920s to the 1940s. To honor Tampa’s streetcar heritage, these new cars are numbered in concession with the original cars, beginning with #428. Each car is 46 feet long and weighs 48,000 pounds. They have a 74-passenger capacity with 44 seated and 30 standing. Unlike the open-air cars, these come with factory-installed air conditioning.
Stops
There are 11 stops on the streetcar system. The streetcars are timed to operate at 15-minute intervals. During peak times, this is reduced to 12-minute intervals. You can monitor the live map if you are unsure when the next streetcar will arrive at your station.
