Six lessons for the DC Streetcar from Morocco’s tram

Each day, 100,000 people ride the Rabat-Sale Tram, the streetcar system in Morocco’s capital city. They do so, because the tram connects mostly working-class neighborhoods with job centers, bridges a divide over two riverbanks, and efficiently moves people from all types of backgrounds. The Rabat-Sale tram offers six lessons that could make the DC streetcar a better option for more people.

Hollywood might have given Casablanca its fame, but Rabat is Morocco’s capital city and hub for government activities. (Sound familiar, DC?) I spent several hours riding its tram system recently and found lots of things that could be compared to DC and its streetcar. The tram sets the bar high for other cities trying to provide more mobility options for their growing populations.

Lesson #1: A streetcar system needs multiple lines, intersecting at strategic locations

The Rabat-Sale Tram is an example of what can happen when the focus is on creating a rail system with many lines crisscrossing a metropolitan area. Critically, Rabat’s system opened with two lines, and a third line is under development.

The two lines – each serving different areas of Sale and Rabat, crisscross in the traditional core (called medinas in Morocco), for three kilometers. The two lines total 20 km and riders can switch lines at any of the four stations that serve both lines. And they do. I rode both lines, and at each of the four stations, I watched at least a hundred people switching to a different line.

Obviously, the DC streetcar opened with a single line, but it is part of a larger network of mobility options across the District. A true apples-to-apples comparison to the Rabat system is difficult due to the differing role each plays in the larger mobility ecosystem of their cities. The DC streetcar’s limited reach, with just one 2.2-mile line (so far) and only one transfer location at Union Station is a barrier for the thousands of people who could be regular streetcar riders.

Lesson #2: Dedicated lanes and Transit Signal Priority show transportation priorities

I rode the tram for most of its 20 kilometers, and the entire time, we had our own dedicated lane and each intersection had transit signal priority, giving us the right of way. Cars got a red light as the tram started to approach. It felt like as a transit rider, I was more important than a single occupancy vehicle. Yes, this is subjective, but transit signal priority also shows drivers that a reliable streetcar is prioritized over allowing cars to travel unimpeded through the city.

The level of respect shown to the tram’s dedicated lanes surprised me. I was in Rabat for a couple of days. During that time, I kept a watchful eye out for how cars interacted with the tram’s dedicated lanes. Sure, I saw cyclists and people walking across the lanes, but I did not see a single car impede the tram’s ability to move. This is unlike DC, where the lack of dedicated lanes often allows for parked cars or streetcar-private car conflicts.

Lesson #3: Bridge the divide

It is no secret that rivers, like the Anacostia, are physical barriers, making it hard for people on one side of the riverbank to reach the jobs and schools on the other side. Rabat and Sale are divided by the Bouregreg River, creating a barrier similar to the Anacostia. The Rabat-Sale Tram required a bridge that supports a tram, in order to connect Rabat and Sale with train service.

The Hassan II bridge was built during the tram’s construction period, but the bridge also supports cars, bikes, and pedestrians. It is a new link between Rabat and Sale, reducing the historic barrier previously imposed by the Bouregreg River.The DC Streetcar has plans to eventually extend over the Anacostia in two locations. The Hassan II bridge can be an example of how transportation infrastructure can connect key locations in a metro area, making it easier to walk, bike, drive, and use transit.

Lesson #4: Charging a fare matters for perception

I shared my plans to ride the tram with a local friend, who stressed the importance of paying the fare. I am glad she did. I bought a single trip ticket, validating it with the onboard scanner. As the tram started to move, an official asked for my ticket. This is a subjective observation, but the riders took pride in showing their ticket to the onboard official. The tram was sparking clean too – for a tramcar that’s eight years old, it looked brand new.

Other passengers add “eyes on the street.” A friendly woman at my origin station approached as I waited for the tram, sensing I was a foreigner and new to the tram. In English, she offered to help me get a ticket and told me about the 50 dirham fine (that is about $5, and steep enough in Morocco to discourage fare evasion.) I assured her I had a ticket.

While I speak enough Moroccan Arabic and read enough French to easily buy a ticket and understand the route map, I did not need either language. The machines included an English language option, and I found the machines easier to use than the machines I used to buy a French SNCF (the country’s state-owned railway company) train ticket a few weeks prior.

Lesson #5: Simple tramcar layout adds capacity

Each station has the capacity for a two-car tram, but each two-car tram can hold about 500 people total. That is a lot of people for a streetcar. In contrast, 157 people can ride in each DC streetcar.

Each Rabat tramcar has very few seats, and they were not very comfortable. A prominently displayed sign said let us know our section could hold 168 people standing and 51 people sitting. Not everyone wants to stand, but the interior design of the car made standing an attractive option – with its frequent handrails, uncomfortable seats, and the amount of people inside each car. The cars are articulated, which allow standing for additional capacity (to reach that 500 maximum capacity).

Lesson #6: Public art can be good for branding

Some rail cars are iconic. With one glance, you know its city or metro system. I would not put the Rabat-Sale tramcars in this category just yet, but the tramcars are decorated in an artistic style unique to Morocco. Inside and out, the cars feature stencils of zellij, a type of tile art unique to Morocco. It is a defining architectural trait in Morocco’s big cities and the Rabat-Sale Tram transfers this artistic style to transit. The DC streetcar looks like it can be moved to any big city, without looking out of place.

My fellow riders were businessmen, teenagers posing for that perfect Instagram shot, older women wearing hijabs and niqabs, and others probably not from Rabat – sub Saharan Africans, Berbers, Europeans, etc. At times, cars moved faster than the tram. Then, I watched as cars came to a stop at an intersection, while we kept our steady pace to the next station.

Transit can be so many things, but my ride on the Rabat-Sale tram reminded me that it is less about about taking cars off the road, and more about not putting a car on the road to begin with. And it can be a physical example of the diversity that allows capital cities to thrive all over the world.