News

The business access and transit (BAT) lane installed last spring on a segment of Northeast Grand Avenue has improved afternoon peak travel times by 25%, according to Portland Streetcar's analysis.

New striping, signage and a transit priority signal help the B Loop streetcar and TriMet Line 6 bus avoid congestion resulting from backups on the eastbound on-ramp to I-84, which have previously meant the streetcar would sometimes take as long as 15 minutes to move between the stops at Southeast Stark and Northeast Hoyt. The project was installed by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) as part of a suite of transit priority projects in the central city.

On average, weekday streetcar travel times went down 25% between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., with a dramatic 47% reduction at 5:30 p.m. This improvement in reliability means less time spent commuting and more time home with family and friends for Portland transit riders.

Portland Streetcar will continue to monitor the performance of this BAT lane and look for other opportunities to reduce delay and improve travel time reliability across the system.

Read the full analysis here.

The 10th annual Portland Streetcar Mobile Music Fest will happen the afternoon of Saturday, November 2, bringing local bands live on the streetcar.

Between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., local artists will entertain and delight streetcar riders on the NS Line between Portland State University and NW 23rd Avenue. New and returning acts will provide live music as the streetcar moves through town, for the cost of a regular streetcar fare.

Bands will board at the PSU Urban Center Plaza (SW 6th and Mill) and play until finishing their sets at SW 5th and Montgomery. See below for a list of artists and when they'll start playing.

We've never done a full-streetcar wrap graphic--until now! For the Portland Trail Blazers' 50th season in the NBA, we teamed up to give Car 004 a new look. See how it came together below!

We teamed up with the @trailblazers to put some familiar faces on a streetcar for their 50th season! Check out Car 004's #ripcity glow-up 🏀👀 pic.twitter.com/jRRb26wYjw
— Portland Streetcar (@PDXStreetcar) October 25, 2019

No, the rails aren't going anywhere--but the Portland Streetcar customer service office will be moving on October 18 to 930 NW 14th Avenue, Suite 280. Located in Lovejoy Square, the new office is easily accessible through Nossa Familia Coffee from the streetcar stop at NW 13th and Lovejoy.

All the services and public functions will remain the same but in a new--yet still nearby--location. The office at 1031 NW 11th Avenue will be closed on Friday, October 18, and will reopen at 930 NW 14th Avenue the following week. Our phone number will remain the same, 503-222-4200 and you can still reach us at info@portlandstreetcar.org with any questions or comments.

Portland Streetcar's revised schedules will enter service on Sunday, September 1, 2019. The new schedules will be similar to current service but regular riders should check to make sure they can catch an expected streetcar at the correct time.

The revised schedules will provide a service improvement through restoring frequent service on the A and B Loops and starting frequent service earlier in the morning.

Check here for online and printable PDF schedules. For real-time arrival information, use our interactive map or download the NextBus app. To plan a trip in advance, use the trip planner at TriMet.org and select "Train Only."

The following day is Labor Day, on which we will operate a Saturday schedule.