News

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.

Live music is returning to Portland Streetcar! Local musicians will perform live on NS Line streetcars between Portland State University and NW 23rd Avenue the afternoon of Wednesday, April 19, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Artists performing:

Gainsayer

Anna Hoone

Jonah Sissoyev

Patrick Connell and the Portland Radio Ponies

Keith B. (of AirShow)

Streetcars will run regularly-scheduled service as musicians perform on NS Line routes. Valid fare is required, dancing is encouraged.

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.