First set of steel rails for El Paso Streetcar project arrive in town

Steel rail for the El Paso Streetcar project recently arrived in town, though crews won’t begin laying it along the route until June.

The first shipment will be kept in storage until needed. So far, the $97 million project project has been focused on utility relocation.

The project is being spearheaded by the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority. It will be 4.8 mile looping route that will connect the Downtown area to the University of Texas at El Paso. An inner circulator loop will stay Downtown, according to the city’s “Development News.”

The rail pieces were manufactured in Austria and brought by train from the Port of Houston, according to a news release. One length of rail is 59 feet long and weighs 2,300 pounds. In all, around 900 pieces will be used in El Paso’s streetcar project.