News

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.

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.

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.

Need to tackle your last-minute holiday shopping? The Portland by Streetcar Tour App provides Streetcar riders with an interactive map of restaurants and service/retail shops located within a three-block radius of Portland Streetcar's three lines (A-Loop, B-Loop and NS Line) that are open for business during the holidays.

The listings may be viewed on a map or in an alphabetical list. Businesses may place and update listings for no cost by contacting us. The app is also “location aware,” which means that as a user rides on Streetcar with the app open, their screen will update on its own to show all relevant attractions around them, with a simple touch of the screen providing more detailed information.

“Portland By Streetcar” is free to download and use, and is available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. To learn more and get the most from the app, read through the User Guide.