The Portland Streetcar was designed to fit the scale and traffic patterns of the neighborhoods through which it travels. Streetcar vehicles, manufactured by Skoda-Inekon in Plzen of the Czech Republic, are 2.46 meters (about 8 feet) wide and 20 meters long (about 66 feet), about 10 inches narrower and 1/3 the length of a MAX (TriMet’s light rail system) double car train. They run in mixed traffic and, except at platform stops, accommodate existing curbside parking and loading. The Portland Streetcar is owned and operated by the City of Portland. During construction, neighborhood disruption was minimized. A unique shallow 12-inch deep track slab design reduced the construction time and utility relocations. Maneuverability of the shorter and narrower Skoda vehicles has allowed the 8-foot wide track slab to be fitted to existing grades, limiting the scope of street and sidewalk reconstruction.

Streetcar Service

Route:
Streetcars run on a 8.0-mile continuous loop (4.0-mile in each direction) from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital at NW 23rd Avenue, on Lovejoy and Northrup, through the Pearl District and on 10th and 11th Avenues, Portland State University, SW River Parkway & Moody (RiverPlace), SW Moody and Gibbs in the South Waterfront District where it connects with the Portland Aerial Tram to a terminus at SW Lowell and Bond.

Vehicles:
Streetcar vehicles can carry a sardine load of up to 140 passengers, are air-conditioned and have a low-floor center section (like the MAX vehicles) with full handicapped accessibility. Our fleet of ten Streetcars were manufactured in the Czech Republic by Skoda-Inekon in Plzen.

Stops:
A total of 46 stops are located along the alignment located about every 3-4 blocks. In March 2002, Streetcar Arrival Time was installed at most stops and on the Internet. This GPS tracking system allows our customers to check at the stop reader board and on the Internet to find out when the next Streetcars will arrive.  Up-to-the minute arrival times for Portland Streetcar stop locations can be found by calling TriMet at 503/238-RIDE (7433).

Times:
Monday - Thursday 5:30am - 11:30pm Friday - 5:30am - 11:45pm Saturday - 7:15am - 11:45pm Sunday - 7:15am - 10:30pm

Frequency:
Streetcars run approximately every 12 minutes during most of the day Monday through Saturday and less frequently in the early morning, evenings and Sundays.

Fares:
TriMet's passes, tickets and transfers & Portland Aerial Tram passes are valid on the Portland Streetcar. TriMet and Streetcar fares are valid all day on Streetcar.  Streetcar tickets are sold on board and are valid 2 hours on TriMet.  There will be no charge to riders who only travel within Fareless Square. Fareless Square is south of NW Irving and east of I-405 through the PSU campus to RiverPlace. PURCHASE TICKETS OUTSIDE FARELESS SQUARE. Zone 1 & 2: $2.00 Youth: $1.50 Honored Citizen: $ .95 Streetcar ONLY annual pass $100.00 per year.

Streetcar Planning Goals

Link neighborhoods with a convenient and attractive transportation alternative.
Fit the scale and traffic patterns of existing neighborhoods.
Provide quality service to attract new transit ridership.
Reduce short inner-city auto trips, parking demand, traffic congestion and air pollution.
Encourage development of more housing & businesses in the Central City.

Portland Streetcar Project – Key Milestones

1990
City initiates Streetcar Feasibility Study and establishes the Streetcar Citizens Advisory Committee

1992
City of Portland receives $500,000 federal HUD grant and matches with local funds

1995
City issues RFP to design, build, operate and maintain Streetcar. The non-profit corporation, Portland Streetcar, Inc., is selected

May 1999
Construction begins from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital to Portland State University

April 5, 1999
Official ground breaking ceremony

May 1999
Start construction of phase I & II alignment trackwork from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital to Portland State University

September 1999
Notice to proceed for Skoda-Inekon to begin construction of Streetcar vehicles.

November 1999
Start construction of Streetcar maintenance facility (beneath I-405)

January 2001
Substantial completion of construction of phase I & II

April/May/June 2001
Receive five (5) Streetcar vehicles, begin training and testing

July 20, 2001
Begin Streetcar passenger service from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital to Portland State University

Summer 2003

Receive two (2) additional vehicles for a total fleet of seven (7)

January 2004
Construction begins from Portland State University to RiverPlace

March 11, 2005
Begin Streetcar passenger service to RiverPlace

January 2005
Construction begins from RiverPlace to SW Moody and Gibbs

August 2005

Construction completed to SW Moody and Gibbs; opening delayed until arrival of new streetcars in 2006.

October 20, 2006

Begin Streetcar passenger service to South Waterfront

August 2006

Construction begins on Lowell Extension in the South Waterfront District

December 2006

Receive three (3) Streetcar vehicles, begin training and testing

August 2007

Begin Streetcar passenger service to Lowell & Bond in the South Waterfront District

Streetcar Map
Click Map for enlarged view

Streetcar History
The City of Portland, Oregon is noted for the dramatic revitalization of its downtown core.

In the 1960s, Portland, like many other cities throughout the U.S., was threatened by loss of residents, businesses and capital. Suburban housing developments, shopping areas, and business parks were draining the vitality from the city center.

Today, however, Portland’s central city is one of the most admired in North America. Many things contributed to this turnaround, but one key factor was an emphasis on transit and cooperative planning for transportation and land uses. Some examples of changes in the 60s and 70s that led to Portland’s status as a highly livable city are:

• Establishment of TriMet, a public regional transit agency with new buses and a 12-block downtown transit mall
• Elimination of a freeway along the Willamette River where a popular public park now sits
• A decision not to build a freeway that would have destroyed housing in established Portland neighborhoods, and
• State and local support for MAX, the regional light rail service which now links suburban communities more than 33 miles apart to each other as well as to downtown Portland. A 5.5-mile spur to the Portland International Airport opened in fall of 2001 and a 5.8-mile spur opened north to EXPO in May 2004..

The Portland Streetcar system is one more important transportation decision that has enhanced Portland’s vitality while helping the city accommodate new residential and business growth.