The METRO Streetcars, or the River Rail, in downtown Little Rock are part of Little Rock’s public transportation system and they make it easy to get from downtown Little Rock to downtown North Little Rock. Most of the hot spots in both downtown areas are on the METRO Streetcar route system.
The streetcars and regular city traffic both coexist on the same roads, sometimes crossing each other’s paths. Drivers and pedestrians alike need to watch out for them.
There are three streetcars and overhead catenary wire powers the cars.
Where do they run?:
METRO Streetcar operates on two routes throughout the Little Rock and North Little Rock downtown areas seven days a week, except for New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The easiest way to remember the different routes is to remember blue for water: The Blue Line is the route that operates throughout Little Rock and crosses the Arkansas River (the water) to North Little Rock. The Green Line stays in Little Rock. The Green Line does not operate on Sundays, and service to the popular Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International stop ends every day around 5:35 p.m.
You can see them all over downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. The River Rail route includes Verizon Arena, the Statehouse Convention Center, the River Market itself, the Old State House, the historic Argenta neighborhood, numerous restaurants and hotels, the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Museum of Discovery, the main branch of the Central Arkansas Library System, two Chambers of Commerce, courthouses, the Robinson Auditorium Concert Hall, the Riverfront Amphitheater and more.
Hotels that can be reached on the River Rail include the DoubleTree Hotel, the Capital Hotel, the downtown Mariott and the Courtyard By Marriott.
Where can I catch them?:
The streetcar route uses the Main Street Bridge to connect the two cities. There are a total of ten stops in Little Rock and five in North Little Rock. The majority of Little Rock stops are on Markham and Second Streets between Spring Street and River Market Avenue in Little Rock, and on Main street in North Little Rock. You can check out the map to see the stops in a graphic form.
How much does it cost?:
The METRO Streetcars were designed to give families an easy and cheap way to get around downtown. Most major attractions are connected and it is just $1.00 round trip for adults and it is $0.50 for kids. A day pass is just $2.00.
What hours do they run?:
Blue Line:
- Sunday: 11:40 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 8:20 a.m. – 10 p.m.
- Thursday, Friday, Saturday 8:20 a.m. – Midnight
Green Line:
- Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
All Streetcars are closed New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
