Fort Collins trolley season is here: What to know
Erin Udell
Fort Collins' pair of historic trolleys will return to the streets for a new season next month.
Birney Cars 21 and 25 will return on May 6, hitting Mountain Avenue's streetcar tracks from noon to 5 p.m. every Saturday, Sunday and national holiday through Oct. 1, weather permitting.
How to ride the Fort Collins trolley
Trolleys depart from the City Park Depot, 1501 W. Oak St., every 30 minutes. You can board the trolleys at the depot or at the following intersections:
- Shields Street and Mountain Avenue
- Loomis and Mountain avenues
- Howes Street and Mountain Avenue
Trolley rides cost $2 for adults and $1 for seniors and children, but children younger than 3 ride free. Cash, credit cards and debit cards are accepted.
Token-free Tuesdays with the trolley
If you plan on stopping by the FoCo Food Truck Rally in City Park this summer, also be sure to make an appearance at the trolley's City Park Depot. The depot will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays during the food truck rallies — May 16 through Sept. 19. Attendees are encouraged to stop by the depot, take a free tour and enjoy a free ride on the trolley.
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Why does Fort Collins have trolleys?
Before city buses, streetcars were the way to get around Fort Collins.
The city's streetcar service started in 1907, with tracks eventually stretching out from Mountain and College avenues west through City Park, south to the old Fort Collins High School, now University Center for the Arts, and northeast to Lindenmeier Lake. Streetcars remained Fort Collins' main form of public transit until the system was disbanded in 1951.
Starting in 1978, volunteers undertook a years-long restoration of Birney Car 21. They organized the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society in 1980, rebuilt streetcar tracks along Mountain Avenue and eventually reintroduced the trolley Mountain Avenue's streetcar tracks later that decade.
After its own years-long restoration, Birney Car 25 was introduced to the streetcar line in 2020.