Benson streetcars could return to service under new plan
A coalition of local business leaders is pitching a plan to return the long-decommissioned Benson Trolleys to service on existing rail tracks in Ballard, using them to draw visitors to the neighborhood’s commercial core and increase visibility for industrial businesses.
The 1.4-mile route would follow the Lake Washington Ship Canal between the Ballard Locks and the Ballard Blocks shopping center, mostly along Northwest 54th Street and Shilshole Avenue Northwest.
Ned Carner, president of Seattle boutique investment and development firm Wing Point Partners, is leading the charge for the project.
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His newest project seems simple: Run trolleys where rail already exists. The proposal builds on the history of the Benson Trolleys, which ran along the downtown Seattle waterfront from 1982 to 2005.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/02/17/benson-trolleys-ballard-shilshole-rail-historic.html