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Ask the Memphian: When and why did Memphis install trolley lines?

By , Daily Memphian Updated: August 10, 2026 10:16 AM CT | Published: August 10, 2026 4:00 AM CT

In the fall, the Memphis Area Transit Authority is poised to resume service of some of its Downtown trolleys, which have been a source of discussion and debate over many years. 

After a 2014 fire, the entire trolley system was shut down. Though the original Main Street line was temporarily reopened in 2018, it’s been a long time since the project lived up to the expectations set for it more than three decades ago, when local leaders envisioned it as a vibrant attraction and transit option that would energize Downtown and boost businesses. 

In this week’s Ask the Memphian, we travel back to that period and take a look at the costly, controversial, but ultimately successful effort to bring a trolley system to Memphis. 

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Memphis public transit Memphis Area Transit Authority trolleys Downtown Memphis Ask the Memphian Subscriber Only

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John Klyce

John Klyce

John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.


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