Loop Trolley Clips Parked Car In The Delmar Loop

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — Though the Loop Trolley hasn't yet started its long (long) delayed service, it's already had its first accident, the Riverfront Times reports. (Be sure to click through — it's worth the read, we promise.)

A photo posted to Reddit on Tuesday shows the trolley clipping the mirror of a cargo van during one of its increasingly frequent test runs.

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Though past promises have repeatedly been broken, Officials say the trolley will finally be up and running by November. (We'll believe it when we see it.)

The Post-Dispatch reported in June that the trolley had been delayed yet again due to red tape from the Federal Transit Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Before that delay, the Loop Trolley Company had said it needed another half million dollars cash before it could begin services. Two local real estate development firms — Clayco and CRG — announced last year they would front the money, but the company has yet to announce a firm date for service to begin.

The most recent target date was "late spring," when the company promised to begin limited service with two cars and reduced hours. Before that the target was simply spring, and before that it was January or February. The $51 million project was initially slated to open in mid-2014, putting it more than four years behind schedule.

A $25 million Federal Transit Authority grant as well as local grants, tax credits and a special districtwide sales tax have made up the bulk of the project's initial funding. St. Louis County provided $3 million toward the project, while University City kicked in $250,000 plus a 1-cent sales tax on businesses in the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District. That tax, though, has provided less revenue than was anticipated as a slew of businesses have closed in the Loop and others have seen less foot traffic due to trolley construction.

Photo: Trolley tracks running past parked cars in the Delmar Loop (J. Ryne Danielson/Patch)