New Orleans has five streetcar lines: 12 (St. Charles), 46 (Rampart/UPT), 47 (Canal/Cemeteries), 48 (Canal/City Park), and 49 (Riverfront). Line 12 opened in 1835 and is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world.
My time in the city was about 3 hours. I arrived at the airport in the morning and needed to board Amtrak’s “City of New Orleans” departing at 13:45 for Chicago. Completing all five lines was impossible, so I chose which to ride now and which to save — arranged so the leftovers could be cleaned up efficiently on a future visit.
Airport to City
May visit. Landed at 10:25. Uber to the city, about 18 minutes, roughly $30. Public transit was skipped due to the time constraint.
Streetcar fare is $1.25 per ride. The Jazzy Pass ($3 all-day) is available on the Le Pass app and pays for itself after three rides. Also valid on buses and ferries.
Route Selection
The route map is available on the NORTA website (PDF).
Riding all five lines in 3 hours was impossible. Line 12 (St. Charles) loops from Canal St. via St. Charles Ave. toward Carrollton — over an hour round trip. Including it would leave no time for other lines. Furthermore, Line 12 uses different streets for the outbound and return directions on part of its route, so a one-way ride doesn’t cover the full line — a round trip is required. I deferred it.
Lines 48 and 47 share track between Canal St. and N. Carrollton Ave. Riding Line 48 covers the shared section. Line 47’s unique section (Cemeteries to Carrollton Ave.) is short, so it can be combined with Line 12 on the next visit. Line 49 (Riverfront) is an independent route sharing no track with other lines, so I wanted to ride it this time.
The final destination was the Amtrak station (Union Passenger Terminal), where I needed to arrive by around 13:00. Working backwards, I planned to start at the Line 48 terminus and head toward the Amtrak station via Canal St.
The plan:
- Line 48 from Museum of Art (terminus) to Canal St.
- Line 49 from Canal St. toward French Market
- Return from French Market to the Amtrak station
- Lines 12 and 47 saved for next time
Riding Record
Line 48: Museum of Art → Canal St.
Uber directly to Museum of Art, the Line 48 terminus inside City Park.
Boarded the 11:11 departure. Wooden interior, designed to replicate the historical style. Museum of Art to Canal St. took about 34 minutes. The car was mostly tourists riding the full length; it didn’t feel like a commuter line.
Lines 49 / 46 Through-Service: Canal St. → French Market → Union Passenger Terminal
Transferred to Line 49 (Riverfront) at Canal St. Same stop with a roof, but low frequency — about a 10-minute wait.
Departed at 11:55, French Market in about 10 minutes. At the junction, dedicated signals controlled the points — the signal changeover was visible from inside the car. However, a heavy squall started upon arrival. May in New Orleans means frequent afternoon squalls. The rain was too intense to walk around.
Sheltered near the stop for about 11 minutes, then boarded the 12:16 departure toward Union Passenger Terminal. French Market to the Amtrak station via Canal St. took about 30 minutes.
Arrived at the Amtrak station at 12:46. About an hour until the 13:45 City of New Orleans departure. Missing the Amtrak was not an option, so I built in a margin.
Lines Saved for Next Time
Line 12 (St. Charles Line): The world’s oldest streetcar. Opened 1835, still using Perley Thomas 900-series cars. Loops from Canal St. via St. Charles Ave. toward Carrollton. Part of the route uses different streets for each direction, so a round trip is needed for full completion. Entirely unridden.
Line 49 (Riverfront Line): Canal St. to French Market section ridden. Canal St. to Julia St. section remaining.
Line 47 (Canal/Cemeteries Line): Runs from Canal St. toward Cemeteries. Shares track with Line 48 between Canal St. and N. Carrollton Ave. — this shared section is complete via Line 48. The Cemeteries to Carrollton Ave. section is unridden; it’s somewhat removed from Canal St.
Line 46 (Rampart/UPT Line): Connects Elysian Fields Ave. to Union Passenger Terminal via Canal St. The Basin St. to Union Passenger Terminal section was covered. Basin St. to Elysian Fields Ave. is unridden.
Result: of five lines, only Line 48 fully completed. Line 49 partially ridden (Canal St. to French Market). Line 46 partially covered (Basin St. to Union Passenger Terminal). Line 12 entirely unridden. Line 47 partially unridden (Cemeteries to Carrollton Ave.).
NORTA does not publish distances between stops, so an exact completion percentage cannot be calculated.
The remaining sections are all short except for Line 12, so they should be clearable on the next visit. Line 12, however, requires over an hour round trip, so the next visit will also need a reasonable time allocation.