Milwaukee's The Hop expands service for summer festival season

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee’s free streetcar, The Hop, is once again serving the city’s lakefront during the busy summer festival season.

What we know:

The Hop is operating all streetcars along the F-Line from Monday, June 15 through Aug. 31. The route gives riders direct access between downtown and the Lakefront station inside The Couture without needing to transfer.

The Lakefront station provides access to several attractions, including the Summerfest grounds.

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The F-Line will replace The Hop’s regular operations starting Monday, June 15. Service will still begin at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends.

With the F-Line, all northbound vehicles will include the loop to the lakefront, while all southbound vehicles will follow the usual route. All vehicles will serve all stations.

Dig deeper:

The Hop will also offer extended service until 1 a.m. on several major festival nights, including Summerfest, German Fest, Irish Fest and Mexican Fiesta.

Extended service will run June 18-20, June 25-27 and July 2-4 for Summerfest; July 24-25 for German Fest; Aug. 14-15 for Irish Fest; and Aug. 21-22 for Mexican Fiesta.

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On extended service nights, the last northbound streetcar will leave Intermodal at 12:20 a.m. and the Lakefront at 12:30 a.m. The final southbound streetcar will leave Burns Commons at 12:55 a.m.

What they're saying:

"With Summerfest kicking off next week, we’re entering Milwaukee’s busiest and most exciting time of year, and that extends to the streetcar as well," Milwaukee Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke said. "We continue to see more residents and visitors taking advantage of The Hop to reach the festival grounds while avoiding the hassle of parking. With the F-Line, riding the streetcar to summer festivals and events is easier than ever, as every car stops at our Lakefront station."

What you can do:

For more information on parking along the route, visit The Hop's parking page. For more information on the F-Line, including a list of festivals and events easily accessible via the streetcar, visit The Hop's F-Line page.

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