Our regional partners at TriMet are expanding the Honored Citizen fare program to include active and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces to thank them for their bravery and sacrifice. This new fare option will allow the region to provide ongoing recognition of the service and commitment made by members of the military in our community.
Honored Citizen fares are currently available to seniors, riders with disabilities, and low-income riders--ensuring they pay no more than $28 per month with Hop Fastpass™. Adding veterans and active-duty service members to the program will allow them to ride transit more affordably to meet their daily needs.
TriMet is the first large transit agency in the nation to offer a reduced fare for both veterans and active duty service members.
Portland Streetcar's Art on Board program has installed yet another exhibit, this time adorning a vehicle with work from El Salvador-born Portland artist Amaranta Colindres.
Amaranta Colindres is a fine artist, muralist and art teacher based in Portland, Oregon. Born in El Salvador, she was raised and spent the majority of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area and lived a short time in Brooklyn, NY. Amaranta studied Liberal Arts at Diablo Valley College, Graphic Design at CSU East Bay and Fine Art/Illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her work is heavily influenced by her affinity for the intersection of the spiritual and natural world, which she explores with a passion in her personal life.
Amaranta is excited to share her love of vibrant color, geometry and animals for the community to enjoy with her public works of art. Her intention is for the viewer to connect to the being depicted in her paintings, to have a personal message or reminder delivered for each individual observing the art.
Amaranta saw the process of oil painting happening in her home from a young age, as her father Raul Colindres, Sr. would paint landscapes as a hobby. Placed in art class by her mother at the age of four, she continued to seek diverse types of artistic training during her youth into adulthood including the mediums of pastel, watercolor, acrylic, oil wood burning and spray paint. Her creative style is influenced by graffiti style street art blended with traditional art made by her ancestors from her mixed heritage including Nahuat-Pipil Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean and Spanish/German European.
Amaranta enjoys making custom art of all sizes for others, including pet and person portraits, landscapes, murals and painted clothing and accessories. Her largest mural is 75' in length featuring the portraits of eight tigers, honoring a Bay Area family from Southeast Asia. Collectors of her paintings are found around the nation and abroad. She is proud to have her work published in Forbes Magazine, Vintage Trailer Magazine and A Taste of Oakland Magazine. She has participated in solo and group shows and has earned Best of Show in the Solano County Fair. Her work is found in the City of Portland's Art Collection. She is on the official mural artists roster for the cities of Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon.
Amaranta's body of work is diverse and unique in that she is academically trained in realistic painting and has also learned graffiti street art by collaboratively spray painting with talented artists from the Lord's Crew, Dragon School and Few and Far graffiti crews including Dest, Luke Dragon, Sam Flores and Agana. Her ability to paint ranges in many styles from realistic and traditional to contemporary.
Amaranta has a passion for teaching and provides instruction to individuals or groups of all skill levels and ages from children to adults. As an event owner of Rose City Paint Party, she guides groups at various venues around the Portland Metro area to make paintings with step by step instruction, as part of the Paint-Nite brand.
She is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Four Directions Art Project, which provides art experiences to those with socio-economic barriers. Her focus allows people who have experienced trauma to find healing through the art-making process. Aside from being a working artist, Amaranta enjoys the diverse amenities of the pacific NW with her partner, their children and husky dog, Shasta. She also enjoys participating in fashion-related events as a make-up artist and model. She looks forward to expanding her art practice to include online merchandise and book illustration.
Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and Portland Bureau of Transportation staff went before the Planning Commission today for an update on the land use and zoning work done to support the Montgomery Park streetcar extension.
"[Streetcar] has a proven track record of spurring dense, walkable development and affordable housing development," PBOT Planner Shawn Canny told planning commissioners. "It can help us achieve our equity goals and our climate goals, as well as our mode shift goals."
The planning work, which was funded by a transit-oriented development planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration, kicked off in 2019 and included jobs and housing analysis, public engagement, equity analysis and pre-development work on major opportunity sites.
Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff intend to return to the Planning Commission in the next few months for a public hearing on proposed land use changes.
The Montgomery Park Redevelopment and Transit Project is a planned extension of the Portland Streetcar NS Line along NW 23rd and NW Roosevelt/Wilson with a terminus at Montgomery Park, including the potential for 3,000+ new housing units in a new district north of NW Vaughn Street.
An online open house is now live for the Montgomery Park Transit Project, extending the Portland Streetcar NS Line to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland. This project will provide completely off-wire service to Montgomery Park and the former ESCO steel site.
Development planned in coordination with the transit project will create more than 3,000 new housing units, including more than 300 affordable units. A new park, pedestrian access to Forest Park and reconstruction of NW 23rd Avenue are also included in the project.
Portland Streetcar's Art on Board program has installed another piece, this time by local artist Bobby Fouther entitled "United Stories." The piece was originally done in acrylic on canvas and is a combination of two works joined together "to connect a feeling of the inner and outer self," says Fouther.
Fouther continues:
I am a visual and performing artist. Through multiple mediums I love to tell stories on the canvas and the stage, sometimes with paint and sometimes with movement. I have created photos, videos, music, costuming to tell all types of life’s moments from birth to death. My mentors are many both local and international and I say thank you for the blessings … ASHE … Miss Dunham, Mr. Pomare, Ray Eaglin, Charles Tatum, and many others for giving me with wisdom to pass it on.
Dedicated to Ellen Elizabeth Preston for giving me sight and insight and teaching me to use my gifts to the best of my ability on a daily basis.
The Art on Board program began in 2020 and supports local artists through hiring them to create new or repurpose existing works to be displayed on the Portland Streetcar as it provides transit service to Portland's central city.
Portlanders who live or travel in the South Waterfront neighborhood can expect traffic delays on South Moody Avenue between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. April 23 through April 27. Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) personnel will be testing propulsion and braking on a new streetcar vehicle built by Brookville Equipment Corporation that will be put into service this summer. The testing will be conducted along South Moody Avenue between the Tilikum Crossing and South Lowell Street.
Beginning at 12 a.m. each night, the streetcar will perform eight test runs along South Moody Avenue that will each last around three minutes. Traffic control and flagging will hold all traffic on the street to accommodate the streetcar proceeding through intersections at speed and exceeding the posted speed limits for testing purposes. Sidewalks and bicycle facilities adjacent to the roadway will be unaffected.
The new streetcar vehicle is one of three purchased by PBOT to expand the Portland Streetcar fleet. The other two vehicles will arrive this summer and will allow for increased streetcar frequency on the east side A and B Loop routes, as well as more reliable service by having additional spare vehicles available.
Testing for the new vehicles requires loading the streetcar with weight to simulate riders and ensure safe and efficient acceleration and braking to certify it for entry into service.
Thank you for your patience while we complete this important testing to improve transit service in Portland’s central city.
The Montgomery Park streetcar extension took an important step today as the leaders of TriMet, PBOT and PSI met at Montgomery Park to discuss the project and outline a path for:
Moving forward with engineering work on the streetcar extension.
Conducting public engagement to get valuable input from the community.
Interfacing with the Federal Transit Administration to ensure a federal contribution to funding the project.
TriMet General Manager Sam DeSue, Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, PBOT Director Tara Wasiak and PSI Board Chair Dick Davis toured the proposed alignment and discussed next steps to moving the project toward construction. The City of Portland is currently engaged in a process to determine land uses and zoning for the area along the alignment that will maximize the community benefit of the transit expansion.
The Montgomery Park Redevelopment and Transit Project is a planned extension of the Portland Streetcar NS Line along NW 23rd and NW Roosevelt/Wilson with a terminus at Montgomery Park, including the potential for 3,000 new housing units in a new district north of NW Vaughn Street.
Portland Streetcar is going beyond sponsoring the Portland Winter Light Festival this year by transforming into a rolling installation. Every Portland Streetcar will be adorned with LED illumination throughout regular transit service during the festival. This effort will help brighten the central city and provide a moving embodiment of the 2023 festival theme of STARS.
“We received such a glowing response from the community about our lit-up holiday streetcar that we decided to take it a step further,” said Dan Bower, Executive Director of Portland Streetcar, Inc. “By putting LEDs on all our vehicles we can bring light and joy to the city during what can typically be Portland’s grayest time of year.”
Rides on the streetcar will be free after 5:00 p.m. February 3-11 for the festival, offering attendees an electrified, illuminated way to enjoy the exhibits.
“The Portland Streetcar has long been a participant in the Portland Winter Light Festival, providing convenient and easy transportation around the citywide event,” said Portland Winter Light Festival Executive Director Alisha Sullivan. “We are thrilled that the streetcars will be lit up with LEDs this year! The light festival would not be possible without community partners like Portland Streetcar coming up with creative ways to brighten and connect the community by enhancing the nighttime landscape of our city.”
The Portland Winter Light Festival is an annual event that began in 2016 to enrich the public realm through Artful Lighting. Portland Streetcar began service in 2001 and operates three transit lines through Portland’s central city on 100% renewable electricity.
New photographs show a glimpse of the three brand-new Portland Streetcar vehicles currently under construction by Brookville Equipment Corporation in Brookville, Pennsylvania. The three vehicles will expand the Portland Streetcar fleet, allowing for more frequent service and greater reliability.
Brookville Equipment Corporation is an American manufacturer in operation for more than 100 years. The company has built and delivered modern streetcars to Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Dallas and several other cities.
Portland is receiving three vehicles in a joint order with Sound Transit for the Tacoma T Line streetcar system. The vehicles are expected to arrive in Portland and enter service later this year. See below for photos.
A new art installation by Portland artist Tatyana Ostapenko graces Portland Streetcar’s Art on Board program, showcasing local artists' work on a rolling canvas through the central city. The vehicle wrap debuted on Thursday, December 8.
Born and raised in Ukraine, Ostapenko lives in Portland and paints around the Pacific Northwest.
"I was born and raised in Ukraine. My artwork directly focuses on historical atrocities in that part of the world, as perpetuated by the few who hold the power, against the many who suffer. My paintings are deeply rooted in the past and attempt to evoke moments that happen at the juncture of erased, imagined and personal histories.
I created the painting “I’ll Take You There” to celebrate the strength and resilience of Ukrainian people. It is my hope that seeing this image on the streets of Portland will continue to bring awareness and support for their ongoing fight for their lives and freedom."
Celebrate the grand opening of TriMet's Frequent Express bus line, connecting Southeast Portland and Gresham along Division Street. Join TriMet in celebrating FX's debut at three festival locations, complete with food, activities, entertainment, and free FX rides!
Portland Streetcar will be free all day Saturday, September 17, to celebrate the new link in our regional transit network. A and B Loop streetcars will connect to the FX at OMSI/SE Water Avenue, where one of the three festivals will take place.
A purple vest and a backpack will be a new sight for regular streetcar riders. Newly-hired Rider Ambassadors are working aboard the streetcar to provide a non-security presence to help keep the system safe, supportive and comfortable.
Completing mental health outreach training and equipped with water, dry socks and other supplies, this team will respond to riders experiencing homelessness or struggling with mental illness or addiction.
“Providing more helping hands on the streetcar is a way we can help our neighbors in need while also keeping the streetcar safe and clean for all riders,” said Dan Bower, Executive Director of Portland Streetcar, Inc. “The Rider Ambassador program is an extra layer of community support, and the team can respond to situations where otherwise a security or police response would be called in.”
The one-year pilot program is funded by a research and demonstration grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The grant is also funding the transition from cloth upholstery to easy-to-clean vinyl seat covers and new rider information screens at key stops.
Portland Streetcar expects to collect data, stories and rider feedback about the program to evaluate its effectiveness at the end of the year. The team will be in addition to existing customer service representatives and PBOT’s fare officers.
I-84 will close in both directions this weekend for the installation of the Blumenauer Bridge, a new biking and walking link between the Lloyd District and Central Eastside over the freeway. The closure will last from Friday night until Monday morning to install the bridge span. Streetcar service will be unaffected.
The new span will connect NE 7th Avenue across I-84 to provide a critical link in the central city's pedestrian network and a key component of the future Green Loop. It will provide safer, easier access to A and B Loop stops at Hoyt, Burnside, Oregon and Holladay, and easier access to destinations from those stops.
Better pedestrian infrastructure means a safer, more accessible streetcar network and we look forward to using this new span to better connect riders to jobs, errands and wherever they may need to go.
Portland Streetcar is hiring up to four Rider Ambassadors to ensure that all riders--especially the community's most vulnerable--have a positive and safe experience on board.
Overall, the Rider Ambassador is the face of transit and should warmly welcome riders while promoting the importance of transit, increasing a sense of safety and community, and assisting wherever needed. The Rider Ambassador serves alongside Portland Streetcar Customer Service Representatives and PBOT Security Officers to ensure all riders are able to travel safely and with the support they require.
The Rider Ambassador also understands that transit plays a key role in reducing rides taken through other modes of transportation that are more harmful to the environment, such as single-occupancy vehicles, and will help create a welcoming atmosphere that will increase ridership. The Rider Ambassador will be offered ongoing training and professional development as available to better serve riders and the Portland community.
For qualifications and information on how to apply, click here.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for employment at Portland Streetcar, Inc.
Portland Streetcar will institute a seasonal schedule revision Monday, September 6. The new schedules can be found on this website, and real-time arrivals and trip planning can be found through the Umo app.
A Saturday schedule will be in effect on Monday, September 6, in observance of Labor Day.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is now hiring a Field Maintenance Supervisor for Portland Streetcar. The Portland Streetcar Maintenance Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day work assignments and supervision on maintenance and repairs of rolling stock (streetcars), Track (MOW), Signal control systems, and overhead contact wire (OCS). This is a unique opportunity as this position will not only be responsible for supervising the team but will work hands-on in the field with employees on techniques, standards, and safety procedures including troubleshooting maintenance issues.
What you’ll get to do:
Act as an equitable supervisor to streetcar technicians and utility workers including coaching, mentoring, imposing discipline as needed and general employee management
Track parts and labor in an asset management system and providing reports
Plan maintenance, repairs, and overhaul of equipment
Troubleshoot and diagnose equipment electrical and mechanical failures
Reviews technical documents such as plans & specifications
Respond to field emergencies and critical situations.
Make safety related decisions that have real impacts to service.
The Federal Transit Administration featured in an Earth Day video transit-oriented development (TOD) planning for the proposed Portland Streetcar extension to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland. Funded by an FTA TOD planning grant awarded to Metro, Portland Streetcar and the City of Portland have worked to ensure any streetcar capital investments reflect equity, affordability and community benefits while connecting a rapidly-changing Northwest Portland with high-capacity, emission-free transit.
The video showcases ways in which transit planning can be an essential tool in combating the climate crisis, reducing congestion and ensuring clean air for generations to come.
After a year of reduced service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland Streetcar is adding back more frequency with a new schedule that begins Sunday, March 7. Peak service hours will return to 15-minute headways on the NS Line, providing two additional streetcars in service to the four running over the past year.
Service on the A and B Loops will remain at 20-minute headways to ensure enough spare vehicles for reliable service throughout the day.
The Federal Transit Administration announced this week the award of $440,000 to Portland Streetcar as part of the Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program. Portland Streetcar and the Portland Bureau of Transportation submitted a proposal in Fall 2020 to fund measures to keep streetcars safer and provide better communication of public health guidelines to riders.
The proposal comprised three main elements:
Replace cloth seat covers with nonporous, easy-to-sanitize vinyl;
Install new, more variable message boards at streetcar stops to allow for more information to be communicated to riders; and
Hire additional staff trained in current public health guidance to ensure vehicles are properly sanitized and staff are adhering to public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Funding totaling $15.8 million was allocated to 37 projects across the country to support strategies that develop, deploy and demonstrate solutions that improve the operational efficiency of transit agencies and enhance rider mobility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The federal award announcement comes as Oregonians await widespread rollout of COVID-19 vaccination and must remain vigilant in social distancing, wearing face coverings and otherwise working to prevent the spread of illness. Portland Streetcar riders are still required to wear masks on board and are asked to limit travel to only essential trips.
