News: Rider Alerts

The first of three new streetcars entered the "burn in" phase of testing this week, signaling the start of the final process to ready the vehicle for regular service. Three new streetcars were ordered in 2018 from Brookville Equipment Corporation in Pennsylvania and began arriving in Portland last fall.

Engineers, mechanics and safety personnel have been inspecting and testing the vehicles since their arrival to ensure safe and reliable operation. The last phase of the approval process to have the vehicles enter regular service is called "burn in," in which the vehicles operate on the system without passengers for a period of a couple weeks to ensure they are ready to be used in daily operations.

Once that process is completed and the all three vehicles enter service, it will allow for greater frequency and reliability for streetcar riders.

The 2024 Portland Winter Light Festival kicks off February 2, and we're once again celebrating with free streetcar rides after 5:00 p.m. each day of the event.

With several installations accessible by streetcar--and many more around town--the WLF will illuminate the city from February 2-10. Streetcar rides will be free every evening to help Portlanders access and enjoy this magical event.

The Winter Light Festival brings illuminated art installations to the community during the darker months of winter, inviting Portlanders to experience the power that light can bring and see familiar places in different ways.

Portland Streetcar is proud to continue participating in this annual event by offering free rides for attendees to visit multiple sites and take in all they can at the 2024 Winter Light Festival.

The Portland Marathon kicks off the morning of Sunday, October 1, and will have minor impacts to streetcar service that day. The marathon crosses the Broadway Bridge and loops around the Moda Center, so east side service will not begin until the race has cleared that segment.

Runners will also cross the streetcar system at SW 1st and Harrison, so streetcar personnel will be on site to ensure vehicles can get through safely without disrupting the race.

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.

Transit rides across the region will be free on Saturday, February 4, in honor of the birthday of civil rights leader Rosa Parks. Portland Streetcar, along with our partners at TriMet and C-TRAN, will not collect fares that day to celebrate Rosa Parks' iconic contributions to the civil rights movement. Riders will not have to tap Hop cards or purchase fares--just board and ride.

"Each person must live their life as a model for others." -Rosa Parks

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus and sat in the "colored" section to head home. As the bus filled up, the driver demanded that she move to the back to make room for white riders, enforcing a local ordinance. She refused, was arrested, and made civil rights history.

Get home safe this New Year's Eve! Portland Streetcar, along with our partners at TriMet, will offer free rides after 8:00 p.m. on December 31.

TriMet Max light rail will run extended hours. For more information on TriMet bus and Max schedules, check TriMet's website.

Plan your Streetcar trip with our schedule.

Removal of a large construction crane will shut down the southbound Portland Streetcar trackway on S River Parkway for three days beginning Tuesday, September 6. Service between downtown and the South Waterfront neighborhood will be maintained by TriMet shuttle buses throughout the closure.

Additional signage will be provided at affected stops to help riders find their way to their destinations. The closure will affect only NS Line and B Loop travel; A Loop streetcars will run a regular weekday schedule.

Shuttle buses will carry southbound riders beginning at SW 10^th and Clay to the southern NS Line terminus at S Lowell and Bond. Northbound riders can catch a shuttle bus at any northbound South Waterfront stops to get to downtown.

Masks are now optional on Portland Streetcar (and TriMet) due to a recent change in federal law, but the CDC does recommend continuing to mask up on transit. We know our riders have mixed feelings about the mandate ending. We ask everyone to be respectful of others as we all adjust to this change.

Multnomah County will be closing the Broadway Bridge to all traffic for maintenance work on Sunday, April 3, from 7:00 a.m. to as late as 7:00 p.m. Crews will be performing preventive maintenance, replacing signs, and repairing damaged areas of the deck and other structures.

Streetcar service across the bridge will be disrupted for the duration of the closure. A and B Loops will run across the Tilikum Crossing, turning back at NW 10th and Northrup on the west side and N Broadway and Ross on the east side.

TriMet's Line 17 bus will detour to the Steel Bridge during the closure.

Portland Streetcar, along with TriMet MAX and bus, will be free to ride after 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 31st, to celebrate New Year's Eve. TriMet MAX will run extended late-night service until 3:00 a.m., offering revelers additional safe options to get home.

Ride transit and don't bother tapping your Hop card--even when transferring. The evening's free rides are sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Portland Streetcar will run a Sunday schedule on Saturday, January 1, in observance of New Year's Day.

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 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.

Multnomah County will close the Broadway Bridge between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. the weekend of July 10-11 for a structural inspection. This work will affect streetcar service over the bridge.

The A Loop will skip the stop at NW 9th and Lovejoy, continuing north on NW 10th to turn around and become a B Loop. Likewise, the B Loop will turn around at N Broadway and Ross to become an A Loop and continue on the east side.

For more information about the closure and structural inspection, click here.

This holiday weekend, ride free on Portland Streetcar, Max light rail or TriMet bus. As a partnership to encourage economic recovery, riders can shop, eat and explore without paying a fare Saturday through Monday!

Take transit and avoid the hassle of traffic and parking, wherever you go!

With record-high temperatures in Portland over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the Portland Streetcar closed Sunday afternoon and will remain closed until Tuesday morning when cooler air moves through the region.

Sagging overhead wires, power issues on the Broadway Bridge and a downed tree limb on the overhead wires downtown all led to delays, speed restrictions and other problems on the system. Rather than leave riders stranded while trying to travel, all streetcars were returned to the maintenance yard Sunday afternoon.

Crews will work through Monday to ensure power issues are resolved and service is ready to be restored when temperatures decrease through Tuesday morning.

TriMet's regional MAX light rail system also suspended service due to similar issues with overhead wires and extreme heat. MAX service is also expected to resume Tuesday morning. TriMet buses are still running and riders without fare will not be turned away during this extreme weather event.

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.

Check the new schedules here or use TriMet's trip planner to plan your travel!

Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines did a Q&A session with our partners at TriMet about riding public transit and COVID-19. See the video below or at this link.

As a result of Governor Kate Brown's statewide "Stay Home, Save Lives" order issued Monday, March 23, Portland Streetcar will reduce regular weekday service to every 20 minutes between about 5:30 a.m. through about 11:30 p.m.

This change reflects a natural drop in ridership following guidelines around social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, and the adjusted schedule will allow us to provide adequate sick leave and protective measures for our operators, mechanics and other employees while ensuring reliable service without gaps in staffing.

We continue to ask that riders practice social distancing while riding, meaning providing at least six feet between riders at stops and on board. For continuing updates on Oregon's response to COVID-19, visit the Oregon Health Authority.

We are encouraging all of our riders and employees to do what they can to stay safe during the continued period of recommended "stay home, stay healthy" practices. We also serve multiple hospitals and many vital businesses and services in Portland, so we will continue to operate regular service.

Governor Kate Brown has issued a statewide "stay at home" order to prevent further spread of COVID-19, so we ask that riders avoid unnecessary trips to help give others the space they need to ride safely.

Right now, social distancing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On transit and in public, please keep at least six feet between you and other riders. Our operators will be driving with their cab doors closed to help maximize the benefits of distancing.

For more information about COVID-19 and illness prevention techniques, visit the Oregon Health Authority.

As COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) spreads in Oregon, we are closely monitoring the situation and keeping the health and safety of our riders, operators and staff as our highest priority.

We will continue operating regular service, but we ask that riders continue to heed the advice of public health agencies to stay home whenever possible, wash hands frequently and thoroughly, cough into a sleeve and practice social distancing--even while riding transit. When riding the streetcar, please do your best to distance yourself from other riders to help prevent the spread of illness to our most vulnerable neighbors.

Our customer service office will be closed beginning Monday, March 16, but riders can load value to Hop cards via myhopcard.com or at Safeway, Fred Meyer, Plaid Pantry, and several other retail locations. To limit the use of additional touchpoints on board the streetcar, we will be deactivating the onboard cash fare machines for the foreseeable future.

The situation is changing rapidly, so we will continue to provide updates through our Twitter account and the Alerts portion of the front page of our website.

For additional information about COVID-19, please visit the Oregon Health Authority and Multnomah County Health Department.