60 anys de l'arribada dels "washingtons" a Barcelona

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Enguany el tramvia PCC Washington està de doble celebració. Fa 60 anys que es van presentar els dos primers cotxes d'aquest model que van arribar a Barcelona i 50 anys que van deixar de circular per la ciutat comtal.

El doble aniversari dels tramvies americans PCC Washington a Barcelona

El 23 de desembre de 1961, justament avui fa 60 anys, el llavors alcalde de Barcelona, José María de Porcioles, presentava públicament les primeres unitats dels vehicles PCC Washington, que havien arribat a Barcelona per via marítima procedents de la capital americana tres mesos abans amb l’objectiu de renovar la flota de tramvies que donava servei a la ciutat.

El tramvia PCC era un model creat entre el 1935 i el 1938 als Estats Units per l’Electric Railway Presidents Conference Commitee (d’aquí el nom PCC) per unificar el disseny dels tramvies del país i competir en comoditat i tecnologia amb el servei que oferien les línies d’autobús. A la ciutat de Washington, els PCC van circular des del 1937 fins que la xarxa de tramvia va quedar substituïda per autobusos el 1962. Tramvies de Barcelona va veure llavors l’oportunitat de renovar la flota de tramvies i va comprar de segona mà a l’empresa de tramvies de la capital dels EUA 101 vehicles PCC, que van arribar en tres remeses entre els anys 1961 i 1965.

Els vehicles es van adquirir en el seu moment pel preu de 2.000 dòlars (unes 120.000 pessetes), que era aproximadament el doble del que costava en aquella època un Seat 600.

Si voleu conèixer la seva història a Barcelona no us perdeu el següent article:

http://ow.ly/45pg50HhcFo

[davida]

Us imagineu fer a Barcelona el va fer a El Paso (Estats Units). Tornar a posar en servei els Whasingtons abandonats en un descampat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_Streetcar

On May 4, 1974,[12][13] the last remaining cars in use made their final trips. They were taken to a desert area by the airport, where they eventually rusted and decayed.
On June 5, 2012, the city council unveiled a new route, creating a narrow loop for the service; streetcars would travel north on Stanton Street, turn left at Glory Road/Baltimore, then south on Oregon Street. A downtown loop runs east on Franklin Avenue, south on Kansas Street, west on Father Rahm, and north on Santa Fe Street.[14] The El Paso City Council approved going forward with the project in July 2014.
Construction began in late December 2015.[2] As of 2016, construction of the system was projected to cost $97 million.[2] In November 2016, the city disclosed that construction funds had been extorted in a phishing scam perpetrated by an entity posing as a contractor – most of the funds had been recovered by the time it was publicly announced.[16] By March 2018, construction was 95 percent complete.[6] The first of the refurbished streetcars was received on March 19, 2018,[17] and the first test trip on the line under power was made on April 3.[18]

The system opened on Friday, November 9, 2018.[5] On the three-day opening weekend, just six of the 27 stops were being served, from Santa Fe & 4th to Kansas & Mill, but all other stops were due to open on November 12, 2018.[19] Fares are based on Sun Metro's fare structure, which means a $1.50 fare for riders not qualifying for any reduction; $1 for students and children; $0.30 for seniors. All rides were free on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until January 5, 2019.[5] 24-hour passes are $3.50; 7-day passes cost between $2.50 and $12.[citation needed]

Streetcar service was suspended on March 22, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[20] but resumed on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays starting on July 29, 2021.[1]

[Renfe445]

Tot pot ser: canviar els troles per pantògrafs, adaptar els tramvies al voltatge de les línies actuals (si cal), dotar a les línies de bucles i ale, a córrer els diumenges.

I ja seria l'ai carai! unir el tramvia blau a la cruïlla Diagonal-Balmes.