OCEAN CITY, Md. – A key downtown development group is urging Ocean City leaders to consider a safer way to move people along the Boardwalk after the town permanently discontinued its tram service.
The Ocean City Development Corporation recently held its annual retreat, where board members review issues affecting the downtown area and discuss ways to keep it economically strong. Board President Joe Wilson said the Boardwalk tram quickly rose to the top of that conversation.
“We do an annual retreat where we talk about the issues facing the downtown area and what we can do to make it more economically viable,” Wilson said. “One of the things we talked about was the tram. It was an integral part of getting people from further up the Boardwalk downtown, especially families, handicapped individuals and older folks who just can’t traverse the Boardwalk for a long distance.”
In a letter submitted to the mayor and council, OCDC called the tram a vital link for people who struggle to walk the nearly three-mile Boardwalk. Wilson said some downtown businesses told the group their numbers were down this season, and they believe the loss of the tram played a role in that drop, although it is difficult to separate that from broader economic factors.
The letter comes after the town’s decision in October to permanently end Boardwalk tram service, which had been suspended since a tram struck and killed a 2-year-old boy near Dorchester Street in August 2024. The town cited safety, legal and operational concerns in its decision and said the trams will not return in their previous form.
Town Manager Terry McGean said Monday that OCDC’s concerns are on the town’s radar, but he emphasized that the old system is not coming back.
“I want to be 100 percent clear. The tram, as we have all known it, is not coming back,” McGean said. “We are looking at different alternatives. We need to do a lot of vetting and make sure the council is comfortable with them. If we find something that is a viable alternative, we will bring it forward.”
McGean said staff-level conversations about possible replacements are ongoing and he would like to present an option to the council during the offseason. He added that even if an idea moves forward, it is unlikely a new system would be in place by next summer.
Wilson said OCDC’s goal is not to bring back the exact tram that used to run, but to encourage the town to find a safe solution that once again helps people travel from one end of the Boardwalk to the other.
“We know safety has to be the top priority,” he said. “Ultimately, we just want to see a safe alternative that keeps people moving up and down the Boardwalk.”
