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Much
of the Portland Streetcar route is within Tri-Met's "Fareless
Square" |
On-board
ticket machines sell tickets for travel beyond the Fareless
Square. |
Portland State University area |
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scenes Downtown |
On
NW Lovejoy |
Entering
SW Harrison |
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Turning
onto NW Northrup Street in the Pearl District. The Pearl was
created from a large area of abandoned rail yards.
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The
"Go By Streetcar" sign evokes the spirit of the
historic "Go By Train" sign on nearby Union Station
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Aerial
view of a typical station.
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Passing underneath the new aerial
tramway that connects to the OHSU campus.
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The
Sunday "Farmer's Market" brings huge crowds to the
Skidmore Fountain area. At left an LRV boards at the
station. In the middle scene, a local Jimi Hendrix impersonator
attracts attention while an LRV prepares to depart. At
right, the crowd parts as the LRV moves through. Light Rail
can be "pedestrian friendly". |
Looking
north on SW 10th Street in Downtown Portland. Note how the
curb "bumps out" to form the station platform,
preserving on-street parking. |
New Pictures Added
January 2010 |
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The new
Transit Mall loops from 6th (one way northbound) to 5th (one
way southbound) in front of restored Union Station.
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Passing
the old interlocking tower adjacent to the station. Note the
"Go By Train" neon sign on the station clock
tower; this was the inspiration for the "Go By
Streetcar" sign at 10th and Northrup. |
The
new Transit Mall alignments on 5th and 6th are shared by
Light Rail and bus, with one lane remaining for automobile
traffic. A clever solution to keeping traffic moving was
devised by gently curving the track over to the curb lane at
station stops, changing back to the middle of the street
between stations. Bus stops are provided with bays that keep
a stopped bus clear of the tracks and other passing
vehicles. |
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An
example of the high-quality Light Rail infrastructure on the mall
alignments; modern steel poles used to support the OCS are
shrouded with an historic facade, taking care of street
lighting at the same time.
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The
original Light Rail alignments through Downtown utilized
salvaged cobblestones for the transit lane.
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An
LRV boards at the Pioneer Square stop.
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Portland
has some very hilly terrain, and the streetcar climbs its
share of grades throughout much of the alignment.
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Light
Rail, Bus and Streetcar all share a short section of the new
transit mall. January 2010.
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The
Streetcar turns off the transit mall as the Light Rail train
departs.
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The
new streetcar prototype from United Streetcar on display at
the maintenance facility. No firm date has been established
yet for when it will enter service.
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John
Smatlak Photos 
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News
/ Updates (scroll down for latest updates):
Update
7/27/01- The new Portland
Streetcar began operation on July 20. The project features all street-running track, and
made extensive use of minimal impact "shallow slab"
construction. Details on the track construction technique are available
from an interesting article
on the Gomaco World web site.
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Update
12/3/03- The development along the route of the
Portland Streetcar is truly phenomenal- major changes were evident
since my last visit two years previous. The system is also being
extended once again. The September issue of Rail Transit Online
provided this report:
A ceremonial groundbreaking for a 0.6-mi. (1 km) extension of the highly successful Portland Streetcar was held at a downtown hotel on Aug. 4. The $18.2-million project will run from the current terminal at Portland State University along Harrison Street to the South Waterfront district. Construction will be done in three-block segments starting with utility relocation in late September or early October, and the line should be open by early 2005. The expansion is being financed by a combination of public and private sources. At the groundbreaking, Mayor Vera Katz said she expects the streetcar to spur economic development and create jobs. City officials are seeking funding for yet another 0.6-mi. streetcar extension that would take the tracks to Southwest Gibbs Street at a cost of about $18 million.
Source- Rail Transit Online
9/28/04-
Construction is well along on the Portland
Streetcar RiverPlace extension. Scheduled to open in March
2005, the extension will connect the PSU campus with RiverPlace on
the banks of the Willamette River. A visit in mid-September found
tracks in place over most of the extension. Approaching RiverPlace,
the new line crosses the former end of the Willamette
Shore Trolley operation, and will ultimately be extended a
short distance more to provide a connection to an aerial tramway
being built to serve the OHSU campus on Marquam Hill. Two
additional Skoda streetcars have been purchased to cover
additional service requirements.
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| Streetcar
extension 9/04 |
Good
cross-section of the shallow-slab track construction |
Streetcar
extension 9/04 |
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John
Smatlak Photos 9/04
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6/26/06-
Opening day ceremonies for the Portland
Streetcar South Waterfront Extension are scheduled for October 6, 2006.
This latest extension advances the line another .6 of a mile
beyond the the previous Riverplace extension (which opened in
March 2005). The latest extension will provide a convenient connection to
the Portland
Aerial Tram
being built to serve the OHSU campus on Marquam Hill.
Three
additional Skoda streetcars are expected to begin arriving in
Portland in September 2006. Click
here for a link to the Portland Transport blog and photos of
the three cars under construction.
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11/23/06-
Service began October 20 on the new Portland
Streetcar South Waterfront Extension to SW Moody and Gibbs. Photos
of the event can be found on the Portland Transport Blog.
Construction continues on the adjacent Portland
Aerial Tram, which will provide a connection to the OHSU
campus.
Construction
also continues on the Lowell Extension of the Portland Streetcar,
with service anticipated to begin in the summer of 2007.
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September
2007- the latest extension of the Portland Streetcar opened
on August 8. The new Lowell Extension provides a loop through the
South Waterfront district and brings the one-way length of the
streetcar line to 7.2 miles. Details about the grand opening are
available on the Portland
Transport blog. The photos below are from my July 27
visit to Portland to attend the Streetcar
Workshop presented by Reconnecting
America.
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Aerial tram
passes over a streetcar at the SW Moddy & Gibbs station.
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The view of the South Waterfront from
the tram.
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Looking
down on the streetcar station below.
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View south on Moody Avenue from
Whitaker, showing the new rail alignment.
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John
Smatlak Photos
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May
2009- $75M in federal funding has been obtained for the latest extension of the Portland Streetcar.
The new 3.3 mile streetcar loop is a $127M project, and
will extend service from the Pearl District in NW Portland,
across the existing Broadway Bridge, serving the eastern half of
the Portland Central City. Click
here for a pdf fact sheet from the Portland Streetcar website.
Click
here for a news article on the funding in The Bee.
The
Bee is also reporting that the first modern streetcar produced in the U.S. under license from the Czech firm Skoda is due to be delivered to Portland Streetcar sometime this summer by
United Streetcar
LLC, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works. The article also
reports that United Streetcar anticipates an order for six
additional cars for the new Eastside Streetcar Loop. Click
here for the Bee article.
May
27, 2009-
In late May Portland Streetcar took delivery of the prototype
streetcar vehicle from United Streetcar LLC. The car is currently
undergoing testing. Some photos of the new car appear below. A video
of the unloading was also posted on the Portland Transport
blog.
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| The
new car arrives. Eric Sitiko photo |
Moving
into position for unloading. Photo from Portland Transport
Blog |
Unloading.
Eric Sitiko photo |
The
new car on the tracks. Eric Sitiko photo |
July
8, 2009-
Portland Streetcar's new vehicle from Oregon Iron Works was
unveiled in a July 1 ceremony attended by US Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood. The Portland Transport
blog has additional coverage of the event including a video.
The car will now undergo extended on-line testing.
On
July 2, the city released a public comment version of the Portland
Streetcar System Concept Plan. The plan is a "20 to 50 year long range planning study that will identify transit corridors in the City of Portland with the highest potential for more detailed analysis in the
future". "The goal of the SSCP is to identify an interconnected citywide system of streetcar corridors integrated with the City's transportation and land use network. The Portland Streetcar System Concept Plan can play a key role in shaping the City by:
* reinforcing walkable and economically diverse neighborhoods and vibrant main streets
* encouraging sustainable and equitable development and infrastructure
* supporting reduction of vehicle trips
* supporting greater accessibility, housing options, employment, and economic development"
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| The
well-attended ceremony |
Secretary
LaHood (L) and Congressman Blumenauer. |
The
unveiling. Photo from Portland Transport Blog |
The
new car on the tracks. "Made in USA". Eric Sitiko photo |
November
5, 2009-
Federal officials recently made the official dedication of $75M in
funding for the Portland Streetcar's new Eastside Extension. Oregon
Live.com carried a good article on this and other news
concerning the other elements of Portland's growing streetcar
network. The official Metro page covering the project is here,
and contains copies of the various assessment documents relating
to the project. Meanwhile work continues to get the new streetcar
vehicle from Oregon Ironworks in service.
 February
4,
2010- Track construction for Portland Streetcar's new Eastside
Extension is officially underway! This
blog entery on Oregon Live has more info.
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| Track
construction on Grand ave. Judie Miller photos |
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Links
Portland
Streetcar Official Site
Portland
Transport Blog
Peter's
Pix- Portland Streetcar page
Portland
page on the APTA Heritage Trolley site
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This
page was last updated on 2/4/10
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