Streetcars (Trams) in Portland, Oregon
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. The 3.9-mile (6.3 km) NS Line runs from Northwest Portland to the South Waterfront via Downtown and the Pearl District. The Loop Service, which opened in September 2012 as the Central Loop (CL Line), runs from Downtown to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry via the Pearl District, the Broadway Bridge across Willamette River, the Lloyd District, and the Central Eastside Industrial District and added 3.3 miles (5.3 km) of route. In September 2015 the line was renamed as the Loop Service, with the A Loop traveling clockwise, and the B Loop traveling counterclockwise. The two-route system serves some 20,000 daily riders.
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Portland Streetcar: A Loop: NW 10th & Glisan - Portland Art Museum (Full Loop)
The almost complete clockwise loop on Portland's A Streetcar, from the Pearl District back to Downtown., ending at the Portland Art Museum.
Important landmarks and bridges (because hey, it's Portland):
Broadway Bridge & Union Station: 3:30
Tilikum Crossing (Bridge of the People): 25:55
PSU (Portland State University): 36:00
TriMet and the City of Portland together operate a three-line streetcar system, mostly centered in and around Downtown. Two of the streetcar routes operate in a loop system, with the A loop going clockwise and the B loop going counterclockwise. The other North-South line runs from the Nob Hill/Alphabet District, east of Downtown, to South Waterfront, where it connects with the Portland Aerial Tram.
None of the streetcar lines used to be loop routes until September 2015, when at the same time the Orange Line opened, TriMet and the City of Portland finished the Tilikum Crossing bridge, or the Bridge of the People, used exclusively for transit and pedestrians. This allowed two of the light rail lines to cross the Willamette River twice throughout their route, creating the loop system we know today.
Portland's new light rail system is one of the most successful transit projects undertaken by any city in America. The first line, the Blue Line, began construction in 1982 and was finished and opened on September 5, 1986. The original line ran from Cleveland, in Gresham, to Downtown Portland.
Over the next 30 years, a series of rapid transit expansion projects and new development ran through the Portland metro area. The Blue Line was extended to Hillsboro, west of Downtown, in 1998.
TriMet's second line, the Red Line, opened in 2001 and brought service to Portland International Airport. Soon after this, TriMet, or Tri-Met as it was then known, switched to the current designations of each MAX light rail line by color.
The Yellow Line opened in 2004 and ran from Expo Center, near the Columbia River, to Downtown Portland. Originally it was routed on the same loop through Downtown as the Red and Blue Lines, but in 2009 it was permanently rerouted on a new north-south route through Downtown, creating the Portland Transit Mall, where each light rail line intersects with each other.
Around the same time the Yellow Line was rerouted, the Green Line opened in September 2009, from Clackamas, south of Portland, to Downtown, following the same routing as the Yellow Line through the Portland Transit Mall.
Jump forward six years later to 2015, when the fifth light rail line, the Orange Line, opened from Milwaukie, also south of Portland, to Downtown. The Orange and Yellow lines are inter-connected, where most, but not all, Orange line trains continue as Yellow line trains northbound, and Yellow line trains continue as Orange line trains southbound.
That brings us to the present day, with Portland's five light rail lines, all operated by TriMet transporting over 100,000 people daily. But Portland wasn't done with just building an extensive light rail system.
Early 2009 saw the opening of Portland's first commuter rail line, from Beaverton Transit Center, where it connects with the Red and Blue Lines, to Wilsonville. Called WES, or Westside Express Service, this line is also operated by TriMet and has five stops along its 15-mile journey.
What does the future hold for Portland's ever-expanding rail network? There are plans to build Portland's first BRT (bus rapid transit) line, which would run from Downtown Portland to Gresham on a similar route with the Blue Line. This could potentially open by 2021.
There have been proposals by TriMet to build a new light rail line from Downtown to Tualatin, southwest of the city. If everything goes to plan, the public could be riding this line by 2025.
TriMet has hinted on a few other extensions with no formal planning yet, including the extension of either the Orange Line or the Green Line to Oregon City, further south. Another potential plan could be to extend the Blue Line further west to Forest Grove from Hillsboro.
After everything the City of Portland has done in the last 30 years, we know Portland certainly has a bright future for transportation. For a city of its size Portland has achieved much since the planning of its first light rail lines back in the 1970s and 80s.
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Trimet MAX Light Rail and Portland Streetcars
Portland Oregon has been a leader in light rail transit since the opening of the first MAX line in 1986. Since then, 4 more lines have opened, as well as a separately operated streetcar loop around the downtown core, and a historic trolley line. In this video, we'll explore both the MAX and Streetcar systems around downtown Portland!
The LightRail in Portland, Oregon, USA
MAX Light Rail (for Metropolitan Area Express) is a light rail system in Portland, Oregon, United States that is owned and operated by TriMet. Consisting of five lines over a 60-mile (96.6 km) network, it serves 97 stations, connecting the North, Northeast, and Southeast sections of Portland; the suburban communities of Beaverton, Clackamas, Gresham, Hillsboro, and Milwaukie; and Portland International Airport to Portland City Center. With an average daily ridership of 123,200 and over 39 million annual riders in 2017, the MAX is the fourth-busiest light rail system in the United States after comparable light rail services in Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco. Lines run on all days of the week with off-peak headways of 15 minutes and up to five minutes during rush hour.
Among the first second-generation American light rail systems to be built, the MAX was conceived as a result of freeway revolts that took place in Portland in the early 1970s. Construction of the Blue Line's inaugural eastside segment, then known as the Banfield light rail project, began in 1982 and finished for the line to commence service on September 5, 1986. The system has since expanded through subsequent extension projects that have built upon the original line, with the Orange Line, opened in 2015, as its latest extension. Future expansion plans include extending the Red Line further west to Hillsboro in 2023 using existing rail infrastructure and, if funding is approved by voters in 2020, a proposed Green Line extension to Southwest Portland, Tigard, and Tualatin is slated for completion in 2027.
The MAX is one of three urban rail transit services operating in the Portland metropolitan area, with the other two being the Portland Streetcar and WES Commuter Rail. It provides direct connections to other modes of public transportation including local and regional buses at most stations and Amtrak via Union Station. ~Wikipedia
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Thank you for your support. Comment below so all of us can have a productive and insightful conversation about transportation!
How to Ride the Portland Streetcar
Step by step instructions on how to use the Portland, Oregon Streetcar. Travel the three lines, A loop, B loop and the North South Line. Learn how to use the Platform ticket machines as well as the PDX Streetcar App to purchase tickets. Know the ins and outs of riding the Streetcar, how to validate your ticket, what to do when the doors do not open and how to signal the driver that you want to exit. #DISTANTLANDS #TRAVELTIPS #TRAVEL
Where We Live: The Portland streetcar
The streetcar line plays a big role in developing the city
Portland, Oregon - Downtown Portland HD (2017)
Portland is a port and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The city covers 145 square miles (380 square kilometers) and had an estimated population of 632,309 in 2015,[7][9] making it the 26th most populous city in the United States. Approximately 2,389,228 people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the 23rd most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ranks 17th with a population of 3,022,178. Roughly 60% of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.
Portland North/South Line (NS) Streetcar in the NW District, Portland, Oregon 2018
While staying in Portland, Oregon recently, I was living in a building that had a Portland Streetcar running right in front about every 20 minutes up until 12-midnight.
After a couple of weeks you really didn't notice it, but when you wanted to catch a streetcar downtown it was sure handy! Portland is a great city with really great transportation options.
The Portland Streetcar provides an 8-mile loop, 4 miles in each direction from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital at NW 23rd Avenue, on NW Lovejoy and Northrup, through the Pearl District and on 10th and 11th Avenues to SW Mill and Market Streets, Portland State University Urban Center, SW Harrison Street, continuing to RiverPlace and to SW Lowell & Bond at the South Waterfront District with connections to the Portland Aerial Tram.
Portland Streetcar and MAX Light Rail
A Portland Streetcar and a MAX Light Rail train cross the Tilikum Crossing Bridge in Portland, Oregon on June 5, 2016. The bridge is the first bridge devoted only to public transit and pedestrians in the United States.
A Ride on The Portland Streetcar NS Line
Skip intro: 4:30
This was a loop around the Portland Streetcar NS Line, serving South Waterfront and NW 23rd Ave. This was filmed on Streetcar 015, the United Streetcar prototype, which was the first train in the Streetcar fleet to be entirely made in the US.
Portland Streetcar #1 at SW Park/ Mill
I took Portland Streetcar #1 to NW 10th/ Couch.
Portland, OR. TriMet red line train ride. How to get to airport directly from downtown for $2.00
Visited Portland, Or last year. The great thing about the Portland is the above ground rail system. It's really convinent and I get to see the whole city with my minimum budget. Going to the airport was a bliss from downtown. If you enjoy train ride video with relaxing music, you'll love this one! #Portland International Airport
#PDX #Portland #trimet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1969 by the Oregon legislature, the district replaced five private bus companies that operated in the three counties; Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas. TriMet started operating a light rail system named MAX in 1986, which has since been expanded to 5 lines that now cover 59.7 miles (96.1 km), as well as a commuter rail line in 2009. It also provides the operators and maintenance personnel for the City of Portland-owned Portland Streetcar system.
In addition to rail lines, TriMet provides the region's bus system, as well as LIFT paratransit service. There are 610 buses in TriMet's fleet that operate on 80 lines.[3] In Fiscal Year 2013, the entire system averaged almost 316,700 rides per weekday and operates buses and trains between the hours of approximately 5 a.m. and 2 a.m. with no night owl service. TriMet's annual budget for FY2014 is $489 million, with over half of revenues coming from a district-wide payroll tax.[8] The district is overseen by a seven-person board of governors appointed by the state's governor. In 2014, the agency has around 2,500 employees.
Portland (/ˈpɔrtlənd/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the county seat of Multnomah County. Located in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, the city covers 145 square miles (376 km²) and had an estimated population of 619,360 in 2014,[7][9] making it the 28th most populous city in the United States. Approximately 2,348,247 people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the 24th most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ranks 17th with a population of 3,022,178.
Named after the city in Maine, Portland was settled in the 1840s near the end of the Oregon Trail and the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s,[10] Portland became noted for its growing liberal political values, and the city has earned a reputation as a bastion of counterculture which has proceeded into the 21st century. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center study, Portland ranks as the 8th most popular American city, based on where people want to live.
Memories of the Portland Streetcar Era
PATREON: patreon.com/exploreoregon
There's a little area in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of southwest Portland where a few intriguing little pieces of the early days of public transportation in the city stand. Back in the day a streetcar line climbed straight up into the west hills towards Council Crest and in this little adventure I explore to a small semi-secluded spot to show one, a potential remnant of the old streetcar days, and two, an iconic house that stood out prominently all those many years ago along this streetcar line... a house that still stands today.
Loose screw caused Portland Streetcar crash
The Portland Streetcar collided with two cars at 1:10 p.m. May 24 on Southeast Grand Avenue at Taylor Street, injuring one person and causing the streetcar to derail.
Streetcars in Portland, Oregon
some of the most sexiest trams/streetcars in the United States.
PORTLAND OREGON LIGHTRAIL MILWAUKIE TROLLEY TRAIL
This is the new section of the trolley trail starting at the not yet opened MILWAUKIE LIGHTRAIL station, enjoy!
Portland, Oregon - Portland Aerial Tram HD (2017)
The Portland Aerial Tram or OHSU Tram is an aerial tramway in Portland, Oregon, carrying commuters between the city's South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus, located in the Marquam Hill neighborhood. It is one of only two commuter aerial tramways in the United States, the other being New York City's Roosevelt Island Tramway. The tram travels a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and a vertical distance of 500 feet (150 m) in a ride that lasts three minutes.
Portland works to make bus system more efficient
TriMet bus speeds decreased 5.6% between 2009 and 2014.
Grand Opening of the Trimet Orange Line and Tilikum Bridge Portland Oregon
Photos/Video by Guy Bodin Portland Oregon
Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. TriMet, the Portland metropolitan area's regional transit authority, built the bridge for its MAX Orange Line light rail trains, as well as the Portland Streetcar, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Private cars and trucks will not be permitted on the bridge. The crossing opened for general use on September 12, 2015, becoming the first new bridge built across the river in the Portland metropolitan area since 1973. The first public access to the bridge was given on August 9, 2015, in the morning for the 20th annual Providence Bridge Pedal.
TriMet selected the name of the bridge in April 2014 from a list of four finalists chosen by the public. Tilikum is a Chinook Jargon word meaning people, tribe, or family, and the name is intended to honor the Multnomah, Cascade, Clackamas, and other Chinookan peoples who lived in the area as long as 14,000 years ago. The Tilikum name also references the pervasive use of Chinook Jargon in Portland’s first half century in the frequent trade interactions between pioneers and Native Americans.
Concept to Reality - The Making of the Modern Streetcar - Portland Streetcar
This video recounts the development of the first modern streetcar system to be developed in the United States in the late 20th century, from its conception, through its construction and expansion, to the multi-line system that exists today at the time of its 15th anniversary of operation.
Guests include:
Sam Adams
Earl Blumenauer
John Bollier
Dan Bower
John Carroll
Kay Dannen
Vicky Diede
Mark Dorn
Dick Feeney
Rick Gustafson
Charlie Hales
Gary Hopkins
Carter MacNichol
Neil McFarlane
Jim Mark
Michael Powell
Roger Shiels
Tiffany Sweitzer
Richard Thompson