Congressman Cohen Announces More Than $2,600,000 for New Electric Rail Trolleys for Downtown Memphis

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has selected a proposal from the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) for $2,640,000 in federal funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program for the purchase of three new electric rail trolleys for downtown Memphis.

“These federal funds being directed to Memphis for new rail trolleys will play an important role in driving economic development downtown and along South Main,” said Congressman Cohen. “Residents and merchants enjoy our historic trolleys and having them back on Main Street will improve livability and make downtown more attractive to tourists. I am pleased the Tennessee Department of Transportation selected Memphis for the federal grant and I thank MATA CEO Ron Garrison for his leadership on the issue. Long live the trolleys!”

“CMAQ funds are a perfect fit to begin restoring rail trolley service in Memphis. The funds will allow MATA to expedite the return of our iconic trolleys with the purchase new rail cars,” said Ron Garrison, MATA CEO. “The trolleys help people connect with jobs, shopping, attractions and restaurants, and support the continued economic vitality of downtown and midtown Memphis. New vehicles will also ease MATA’s long-term operations and maintenance costs, and take us a step further in moving busses currently on the trolley routes into other bus services.”

In October, Congressman Cohen personally called Ms. Yvette Taylor, Regional IV Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, to advocate for the trolleys in Memphis.