Quote Originally Posted by tkelly1986 View Post
I've also noticed a difference in the type of rail put in. The first picture is of the Detroit rail Name: Detroit Rail.jpg Views: 1223 Size: 35.8 KB and the second if of the rail in DC Name: DC rail.jpg Views: 1288 Size: 44.8 KB. It looks like the DC rail has an extra piece of steel on the inside and then rubber cushioning on the outside. Can someone please explain the difference here? What is the need for the extra DC pieces?
That's not insulation...it's an isolation joint. Although I'm not sure why you'd need it, since steel and concrete have very similar coefficients of thermal expansion.

The DC Streetcar has been in the works for a good decade, and has yet to open for revenue service. Short story: It's been heavily politicized, and new mayor Muriel Bowser wants to abolish the project entirely. At least that's the way I understand it.