Downtown Trolley to make first trip soon

• The Downtown Trolley%27s first trip will be Thursday%2C Aug. 28%2C at 7 p.m. from Salisbury University.
• The trolley route links Salisbury University and student housing with downtown locations.
• The project is a partnership between the city of Salisbury%2C Shore Transit and Salisbury University.
• The project was funded by a %2450%2C000 grant obtained by Shore Transit and %2416%2C000 from the city.

A new way to connect Salisbury University students with downtown Salisbury will soon become a reality, thanks to a partnership between the city, Shore Transit and Salisbury University.

The Downtown Trolley will make its first trip beginning at Salisbury University at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, city officials say.

A ribbon cutting and maiden voyage will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in front of the Perdue School of Business at SU, the city's business development specialist, Laura Kordzikowski, wrote in an email. It includes a trolley ride during which passengers can ask questions, she wrote.

Salisbury City Council President Jake Day said the trolley will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during the fall semester beginning at SU at 7 p.m. and making the last trip to the West Main Street area at about 2 a.m. The trolley will make continuous loops, lasting about 30 to 35 minutes each.

Day said the trolley –– a bus that resembles a trolley –– will be in place for at least a semester, and its level of success will be looked at. The operating nights could potentially be expanded.

Shore Transit was able to obtain $50,000 in grant money for this project through a Maryland Transit Administration operating grant relating to economic development, Transit Director Brad Bellacicco said. The grant was 80 percent funded by the federal government, with state and local money making up the rest, Bellacicco said.

The City Council also put $16,000 toward the trolley project, city officials said.

Day said Salisbury University has been part of the planning process, along with the city and Shore Transit.

Day said the introductory fee for trolley riders is expected to be $1, and the cost wouldn't go up from there.

Day expects the trolley to help form a stronger connection between the Salisbury University and greater Salisbury communities.

"That linkage, I think, is really important," he said.

The trolley starts out at Salisbury University, makes its way to the University Park and University Orchard student housing areas, and then goes to the Evolution Public House and Craft Brewing Company, a trolley map shows.

The next stops are on East Main Street and West Main Street, followed by a stop at Brew River before returning to Salisbury University, according to the map.

Stops will be marked by Shore Transit bus stop signs with the Downtown Trolley logo, Day said.

Day said there are already efforts in place to bring students downtown, and the trolley is another way to encourage that. A Salisbury University official also noted the downtown-to-university connections.

"Salisbury University supports downtown revitalization efforts through the SU Art Galleries — Downtown Campus and other initiatives, such as the city's SU-downtown bike lanes. With the trolley, the city is offering one more way for students to be part of the downtown landscape," Robert Sheehan, Salisbury University's director of government and community relations wrote in an emailed statement via university spokesman Jason Rhodes. "We are appreciative that city leaders are keeping SU and its students in mind as revitalization continues."

While young people may look for an urban environment once they graduate, some students don't know where Salisbury's downtown is, or even that it exists, Day said. The trolley is one of many efforts that can contribute to helping keep graduates in Salisbury, and also has the potential to help downtown businesses, he said.

"I hope that there's a direct benefit to our urban core businesses," he said.

Day said the trolley also provides a safe way for people to get home after visiting bars, in addition to Saferide, a resource for SU students.

This article has been updated. A stop at South Boulevard is no longer part of the planned route, and information about the ribbon cutting/maiden voyage has been added.

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The Downtown Trolley will make its first trip from Salisbury University at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. Bring $1 for the fare.