The Riverfront

Riverfront streetcar 462 heading to the French Market Terminal

After pulling out from the French Market, the Canal Line uses the "downtown" or down-river portion of the Riverfront Line to get to Canal Street. The Riverfront Line began operation in 1988 as a tourist excursion line, running along the river from the Convention Center to the French Market. It began as a single railroad-gauge track with a passing siding, but the line became so popular that the railroad track was torn up in 1997 and the line re-opened in 1998 as a double-track streetcar-gauge operation. By having Canal go all the way to the French Market, the end of Esplanade Avenue is now linked to Canal Street via a streetcar line, which allows for less bus traffic in the French Quarter.