New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 New Orleans Streetcar on Canal Street, April 2007. |
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| Founded | 1983 |
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| Headquarters | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Service area | Orleans Parish, Louisiana |
| Service type | Public Transit Light rail |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Web site | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority |
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA or NORTA as it is called by some residents) is a body established by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1979; since 1983 it has controlled bus and streetcar service in the City of New Orleans.
Previously, public mass transit, electric, and natural gas were all controlled by a private utility company, New Orleans Public Service Incorporated (NOPSI), now known as Entergy New Orleans. The switch to a public operation was motivated by lack of profitability and the desire to be eligible for federal funding.
As New Orleans has one of the highest poverty rates in America, thousands of citizens rely on NORTA, requiring one of the largest fleets of buses in the nation. It also had the reputation for being one of the cleanest and safest systems among cities known for their high crime rates.
[edit] Hurricane Katrina
City buses were used before Hurricane Katrina hit to transport people to a refuge of last resort, the Louisiana Superdome. Much of the city flooded due to the storm. The NORTA Administration building on Plaza Drive appears to have been in ten feet of water. Almost eighty-five percent of the fleet was rendered useless and inoperative; 146 city buses were visible outdoors in the flood at the 2817 Canal St. facility, while only 22 were at 3900 Desire Pky. The 8201 Willow St. facility was one block within the flood but was built above street level. The buses at the flooded facilities will likely have to be rebuilt or replaced.
As of 2007, service is being restored to certain areas as they become habitable again. However, there is no 24-hour service on any bus or streetcar line. Streetcars have returned to the full length of Canal St. and the Riverfront, using the historic St. Charles Line streetcars, which were not damaged, as the red Canal cars were; in addition, a portion of the St. Charles streetcar is back in service while repairs and upgrades continue on the portion of the line outside the Central Business District. The buses that have been restored to operation have returned to several major thoroughfares, including Elysian Fields Avenue, Esplanade Avenue, Claiborne Avenue, St. Claude Avenue, Judge Perez Drive, General Meyer Avenue, Lapalco Boulevard, Robert E. Lee Boulevard, and the Chef Menteur Highway. And just two express routes, Lake Forest Express and Morrison Express, both serving Eastern New Orleans, have been reinstated so far.
A year before Katrina, in addition to local and express bus service, NORTA brought Bus Rapid Transit to the city. The first BRT line opened up on Broad Street, with two more lines opening up months later running along Tulane Avenue and Saint Claude Avenue.
