District Department of Transportation director Gabe Klein is set to meet with the public tonight to provide an update on the epically delayed plans for a streetcar line along H Street NE. The project is the second of two stalled streetcar plans, the other along South Capitol Street in Anacostia. In advance of tonight’s big meeting, which is being co-hosted by Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 5B, 6A and 6C, the Washington Business Journal’s Jonathon O’Connell provides a preview.

As you may recall, the city actually bought three streetcars back when Anthony Williams was still mayor, but they’ve been cooling their heels in the Czech Republic ever since, waiting for the District to get its act together. Since then, DDOT has gone ahead and started work on laying the tracks for the two streetcar lines, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still thorny planning issues to work out, especially for the H Street line, which must contend with rules that ban overhead wires inside the L’Enfant City. And the Anacostia line has its own problems.

So what should you expect to hear at tonight’s meeting? O’Connell chats with Klein and nails down the promising word that the newish DDOT director is excited about streetcars. Somewhat astonishingly, ‘Klein said he is “really not concerned” about funding,’ and notes that he now believes U.S. Department of Transportation secretary Ray LaHood is going to come up with a pot of gold for the projects. Hmm. We’ll believe that when we see it, but OK. Perhaps the most encouraging news is that chief-of-staff Scott Kubly has been tasked with heading a new management team for streetcars, which signals their priority level for Klein.

The public meeting on the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line is set for tonight at 7 p.m. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located at 1333 H Street NE.