Elmhurst adds more dates to trolley service

ELMHURST – Elmhurst residents and visitors will be able to ride the free city trolley during several more special events this year, beginning with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 4.

The City Council voted 11-1 on Feb. 6 to expand the dates for the trolley, also making it available for Art in the Park, Museum Days, the Memorial Day Parade, Black Friday and the Downtown Tree Lighting ceremony.

The trolley was only available from June through Labor Day in the past two years.

The trolley will no longer be available on Sundays, but the Friday and Saturday hours have been expanded from noon until midnight. The cost to the city for the trolley is $57,000, and is paid for by the hotel/motel tax revenue.

City Manager Jim Grabowski said the trolley serves about 12,000 people a year and is frequently used by families, young people, and neighborhood groups. He believes the changes to this year’s trolley service will benefit all community members.

“It’s a great service for the community. I’m happy the City Council wanted to expand the program, and I’m glad we added the additional special events,” he said. “The community really enjoys it, and it gets people to areas that they may not have otherwise gone. They get to see the town from a different perspective.”

The trolley, which began service on a limited basis in 2015, makes a 30-minute continuous loop around the City Centre, Spring Road business district and the York and Valette area. Grabowski said ridership has grown the past two years and is expected to increase this year.

“The council wanted to expand the hours on Friday and Saturday so people can go out and not have to worry about driving,” he said. “But the key part is the special events that were added [to this year’s service].”

Third ward Alderman Michael Bram cast the dissenting vote. At the Jan. 17 council meeting, he said the trolley does a disservice to businesses north and south of the areas it serves.

“A lot of the business areas could utilize the trolley service, and I hate to continue the same route,” he said. “I don’t think these changes will serve more people. It’s serving the same people more because we’re not changing the route. A midnight trolley isn’t intended for serving families at all.”

Grabowski said he understands Bram’s concerns, but he doesn’t think adding another trolley that goes north of the current loop is practical.

“There’s not a major shopping district to stop at, and trying to send a trolley north and back would significantly add to the 30-minute loop and people won’t want to wait that long,” he said. “We looked at adding a second trolley, but doubling the cost wasn’t feasible.”

Mayor Steve Morley described the trolley as a “fantastic” service to Elmhurst residents and visitors. He said while there are no plans to add a second trolley, the council may consider it in the future.

“The trolley doesn’t go all over Elmhurst, but it showcases a lot of great places,” he said. “The residents love it and want to expand it. It’s been very successful. I support the changes made to this year’s trolley service, and the next big step is to look at it from a ridership standpoint and see if adding a second trolley makes sense.”