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Streetcar Timeline

Cincinnati's original, electric streetcar system discontinued service April 29, 1951 after 60 + years of service.

  • August 2013: Construction of a new, 3.6-mile contemporary streetcar system begins in Cincinnati. Final cost: $148 million. 
  • December 2013: Construction paused after the newly elected mayor and members of Cincinnati City Council disagree on whether the project will continue. Streetcar advocates on council prevail and vote to proceed with construction.
  • January 2014: Construction resumes and is completed in summer 2016.
  • August 2016: Cincinnati Bell signs a 10-year contract valued at $3.4 million for system naming rights and dubs the streetcar the “Cincinnati Bell Connector.” 
  • Sept. 9, 2016: Passenger service begins. Daily operations managed by Southwest Ohio Transit Authority (SORTA).
  • October 2016: Best month for ridership to date with 82,934 passengers.
  • January 2020: City of Cincinnati takes over day-to-day management of the streetcar from SORTA.
  • April 2020 – August 2020: Passenger service suspended due to COVID 19 pandemic.
  • September 2020: Streetcar goes fare free.
  • November 2021: Monthly ridership begins upward, record-setting trend.
  • March 2022: Streetcar name changes to “Connector” after Cincinnati Bell merges with Alta Fiber. 
  • October 2022: Ridership on the Connector hits all-time monthly record with 103,700 passengers – surpassing 100,000 passengers for the first time in its history.
  • 2022: All-time annual record ridership with 846,622 passengers – surpasses previous annual record of 571,601 passengers in 2017, the streetcar’s first full calendar year of operation. 
  • June 2023: New all-time monthly record set with 105,624 passengers. 
  • July 2023: New all-time monthly record with 111, 320 passengers, eclipsing previous record set the prior month.
  • September 2023: New all-time monthly and annual records achieved. Monthly ridership totaled 115,114 passengers, bringing the year-to-date total to 849, 161. The previous annual record ridership totaled 846, 622 passengers in 2022.
  • Nov. 24, 2023: Streetcar ridership reaches 1 million, the most in any single calendar year. 
  • 2023: New all-time annual record ridership with 1,108,092 passengers - beats previous annual record of 846,622 passengers in 2022..