Photo by IamJomo

Don’t call it a comeback, but D.C.’s much-beleaguered streetcar project is about to start pre-revenue operations.

A release from the District Department of Transportation says pre-revenue operations, “simulate[] service along the corridor without passengers.”

Getting a sense of deja vu? Well, this is different than the ghost streetcars you can already see making their way up and down H Street. “Residents accustomed to the intermittent operation of streetcars during the run up to [pre-revenue operations] will see a noticeable increase in activity along the corridor for the next three weeks,” the release said.

This is the final test for the streetcar to get the safety certifications it needs to be able to carry passengers. It takes 21 days at minimum, though it could be “extended as needed.” D.C. Fire and EMS has to grant final approval to open the line to the public.

So that means that at, the earliest, the streetcar could be open to passengers on January 11, 2016. This comes after constant delays have caused the Washington Post editorial board, among others, to call for D.C. government to reconsider the $200 million program altogether.

In the release, DDOT kindly reminds all you Einsteins out there to, “Never walk in front of a moving streetcar.”