OCEAN CITY, Md. — The Ocean City Development Corporation sent a letter to the town of Ocean City asking officials to bring a version of the Boardwalk tram back.
The tram has been shut down since August 2024, when a two-year-old boy was struck and killed near Dorchester Street. In October 2025, the town voted to make the suspension permanent. Ocean City later agreed to pay the child’s family $400,000 to settle a wrongful death claim, without admitting wrongdoing, and will place a memorial bench along the Boardwalk.
Rick and Jill Bair used the tram to traverse the more than two-mile stretch of Boardwalk.
Despite that decision, some residents and visitors say the tram’s absence has left a gap. “We miss it. It’s been here for decades,” said Rick and Jill Bair, who used the tram to traverse the more than two-mile stretch of Boardwalk. Jill added that the service helped ensure “the elderly and the disabled can see the beauty and the length of the boardwalk.”
OCDC President Joe Wilson said the organization believes a safer, updated system could still serve the public and businesses along the Boardwalk. “It was an integral part of getting people from further up the boardwalk downtown, whether that be families, handicapped individuals, [or] older folks who just can’t traverse the boardwalk for a long distance,” Wilson said.
OCDC urges Ocean City to reconsider ending boardwalk tram service.
In a letter submitted ahead of Tuesday’s 1 p.m. council meeting, OCDC urged the town to explore alternatives rather than eliminate the service entirely. Wilson said the group hopes to work with the town to identify a replacement.
According to Town Manager Terry McGean, the tram as we knew it will not return. He said Ocean City is examining possible alternatives, but with nothing finalized, residents should not expect any changes for the upcoming summer.