DC Streetcars will head to auction after service ends next week

The DC Streetcar is ending operation next week, and city officials indicated they will auction off its vehicles.

May 31 will be the last day the DC Streetcar operates, and Metrobus’ D20 route will cover the streetcar’s service area, according to Metro’s website.

D.C. officials told Axios that they plan to auction off the streetcars as they did with the buses from the former DC Circulator system. The officials did not say how many cars will be auctioned or how much they seek for each vehicle.

The DC Streetcar, which runs in the H Street Corridor between Union Station and Oklahoma Avenue NE, was first announced to end service in October.

Additionally, power to the overhead wires used by the streetcars will be cut, though officials told Axios they are considering future options, such as an electric bus, that could use the DC Streetcar infrastructure.

Originally, the DC Streetcar was supposed to stop service during the summer of 2027, but officials ended up cutting out all of its funding while crafting the budget for fiscal 2026.

The DC Streetcar cut back operations in January, axing Sunday service and running with 20-minute headways from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.