Perley A. Thomas streetcar 932 (left), outbound towards the cemeteries, is about to pass 952 (right), which is inbound to the French Market terminal at Esplanade and the river, on a sunny afternoon at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue.
Operations on Canal are a bit different with the 900s running rather than the Von Dullens. Here, inside the the "Canal Zone," which extends from the river to Claiborne Ave., riders board as they do on the 2000s, on the street side. Outside the Canal Zone, however, riders used the inside doors of the Von Dullens. Those doors aren't automatic on the 900s, so riders have to walk around to the street side to board. On N. Carrollton Avenue, the streetcars run in the inside auto lane, because the neutral ground is narrow. Having riders exit on the street side would be incredibly dangerous, since this would put them out in the middle of traffic. To avoid this, the operator stops the car at the stop and manually opens the inside rear door, and riders disembark onto the neutral ground.
On the Riverfront segment of the line, the raised platforms at each stop work great for the Von Dullens and the 400-series cars, but the 900s don't line up properly. To embark and disembark passengers along the river, the operator must pull up a couple of yards in front of the stations so passengers can board from the ground level.
Handicap access is, of course, not possible on the 900s, but will return to the Canal and Riverfront lines when the red ladies are re-built.
