Portland, Ore.— The City Council gave Portland Streetcar the green light Wednesday to purchase two new streetcars, allowing for more frequent service on the system’s A and B Loops connecting Downtown and the Central Eastside. As Portland continues to add new residents at a rapid pace, the additional vehicles will improve Portland Streetcar’s ability to connect people to housing, jobs, and services in the Central City when the new cars enter the fleet in 2020.
“As the first modern streetcar system in the United States, Portland Streetcar has been an important part of building the city’s international reputation as an exceptionally livable city,” said City Commissioner Dan Saltzman. “I’m glad to see Portland Streetcar continue to add capacity and improve service as the need for transportation options in the Central City grows.”
The new cars will come equipped with a host of quality-of-life improvements, including additional seating, extra room for mobility devices, and improved signage.
"Portland Streetcar fills an important transportation need in the Central City, connecting Portlanders to jobs, services, and educational opportunities,” said Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat. “These new vehicles will make Portland Streetcar even more valuable and reliable as an option for getting around the city.”
“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve service for streetcar riders,” said Portland Streetcar Executive Director Dan Bower. “In the past couple years, we’ve added service to the North/South line and consolidated stops to save time and enhance safety. The addition of these two new cars from Brookville will help us take that next step and further reduce the time Portlanders are waiting to board the streetcar.”
The new streetcars, manufactured by Brookville Equipment Co. of Brookville, Pennsylvania, were funded in-part by $700,000 in contributions from Go Lloyd, the Central Eastside Industrial District, and Northwest Portland parking meter revenue.
“Brookville is eager and excited to provide the City of Portland and its growing ridership with American-designed and manufactured Liberty Streetcars that we hope will enhance Portland’s legacy and success with its innovative, proven system,” said Rick Graham, President. “This is a very big moment for our century-old organization and, we hope, the beginning of a long-lasting partnership between Brookville, the City of Portland, and Portland Streetcar, Inc.”
“Go Lloyd is proud to support Portland Streetcar by contributing funds toward the purchase of additional vehicles,” said Go Lloyd Executive Director Own Ronchelli. “More streetcars will support Lloyd’s ability to welcome new residents and businesses by providing more frequent service to and from Lloyd destinations and the greater Central City.”
About the Portland Streetcar
As the first modern streetcar system to be built in the United States, the Portland Streetcar serves 15,000 riders each day on the A/B Loops and the North/South (NS) Line. Ridership is expected to grow to 20,000 riders per day by 2025.
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