News

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.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will hold an open house Monday evening to receive public input on a potential streetcar extension between Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland and Hollywood Town Center.

The proposed extensions are projects in the City of Portland's Transportation System Plan and the Regional Transportation Plan, but planners need public input on potential routes and land use changes to maximize the benefits of any transit improvement in those areas.

The open house will be held in the Council Chamber at Metro, 600 NE Grand Avenue, between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. Members of the public are invited to learn about the projects and weigh in on potential options being studied.

For more information, click here.

Portland's annual Winter Light Festival is upon us, bringing light-centric art installations to the central city the evenings of February 6-8. As in previous years, Portland Streetcar will be free to ride after 5:00 p.m. on those evenings to ensure members of our community have an affordable, reliable travel option to enjoy the festival.

Presented by Portland General Electric, the Winter Light Festival is celebrating its fifth year of invigorating Portland's dark winter days with a collaboration of art and technology.

Learn more about travel options to and around the festival here.

With winter weather upon us and below-freezing temperatures in the forecast, Portland Streetcar and the Portland Bureau of Transportation developed a map and listing of shelters and extreme weather shelters near the streetcar system. See the map below and view the whole list as a PDF here.