Blog Post
City of Portland Selects CAF USA to Build 15 New Streetcars
Posted April 2, 2026 by Streetcar
The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has selected CAF USA to manufacture and deliver 15 new vehicles to be put into use for Portland Streetcar riders.
The new vehicles will be hybrid battery-equipped to serve a new off-wire portion of the Portland Streetcar system as the NS Line expands to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland. Off-wire service will be an element new to Portland Streetcar as part of the expansion project while also providing greater reliability for the rest of the system.
“CAF USA is thrilled to be a part of making history by entering a partnership with the Portland Streetcar system,” said Jitendra Tomar, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for CAF USA. “The system is a landmark for modern streetcars in the United States.”
CAF USA will build the streetcars in its railcar manufacturing facility in Elmira, New York. The company has delivered rail vehicles all over the world and has built modern streetcars for use in Kansas City, Cincinnati and Omaha.
“We look forward to moving ahead with negotiating the specifics of design and engineering for these new streetcars,” said Dan Bower, Executive Director of Portland Streetcar, Inc., the City’s project manager for the procurement. “Replacing 25-year-old vehicles with brand new streetcars will be an improvement in the comfort, safety and reliability riders can expect and sets the stage for the next 30 years of success.”
The vendor selection milestone moves the process into a phase to determine vehicle specifications, cost, delivery timeline and other critical elements. City of Portland, Portland Streetcar, Inc. and CAF representatives will begin negotiating those items in early April.
“We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to serve the great city of Portland to deliver reliable and safe transportation with our URBOS streetcars,” said Felix Fernandez, CEO of CAF USA. “They are dependable and proven in service all around the world with modern amenities for riders, and we will incorporate unique features for Portland such as off-wire capability to run on battery technology where needed.”
The new CAF vehicles will replace Portland’s original Czech-built modern streetcar fleet that began service in 2001 and is nearing the end of its operating lifecycle, in addition to a few others in need of replacement due to age or damage.
Portland Streetcar began operation in 2001 between NW 23rd Avenue and Portland State University. Subsequent projects have expanded service to the South Waterfront, Central Eastside, Lloyd District, Lower Albina—and now to Montgomery Park in NW Portland. That project is expected to break ground in 2028 and could begin revenue service by 2030 with the inclusion of new CAF vehicles.
The new vehicles will be hybrid battery-equipped to serve a new off-wire portion of the Portland Streetcar system as the NS Line expands to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland. Off-wire service will be an element new to Portland Streetcar as part of the expansion project while also providing greater reliability for the rest of the system.
“CAF USA is thrilled to be a part of making history by entering a partnership with the Portland Streetcar system,” said Jitendra Tomar, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for CAF USA. “The system is a landmark for modern streetcars in the United States.”
CAF USA will build the streetcars in its railcar manufacturing facility in Elmira, New York. The company has delivered rail vehicles all over the world and has built modern streetcars for use in Kansas City, Cincinnati and Omaha.
“We look forward to moving ahead with negotiating the specifics of design and engineering for these new streetcars,” said Dan Bower, Executive Director of Portland Streetcar, Inc., the City’s project manager for the procurement. “Replacing 25-year-old vehicles with brand new streetcars will be an improvement in the comfort, safety and reliability riders can expect and sets the stage for the next 30 years of success.”
The vendor selection milestone moves the process into a phase to determine vehicle specifications, cost, delivery timeline and other critical elements. City of Portland, Portland Streetcar, Inc. and CAF representatives will begin negotiating those items in early April.
“We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to serve the great city of Portland to deliver reliable and safe transportation with our URBOS streetcars,” said Felix Fernandez, CEO of CAF USA. “They are dependable and proven in service all around the world with modern amenities for riders, and we will incorporate unique features for Portland such as off-wire capability to run on battery technology where needed.”
The new CAF vehicles will replace Portland’s original Czech-built modern streetcar fleet that began service in 2001 and is nearing the end of its operating lifecycle, in addition to a few others in need of replacement due to age or damage.
Portland Streetcar began operation in 2001 between NW 23rd Avenue and Portland State University. Subsequent projects have expanded service to the South Waterfront, Central Eastside, Lloyd District, Lower Albina—and now to Montgomery Park in NW Portland. That project is expected to break ground in 2028 and could begin revenue service by 2030 with the inclusion of new CAF vehicles.