PORTLAND TRANSIT CHALLENGE
Portland Streetcar Type: Streetcar Service: 16-18 hours daily Size: 4 miles in service,
3.3 miles under construction
Routes: 1 Fleet: 10 cars: 7 Inekon Skoda Astra and 3 Inekon Trio
Ridership: 4 million (FY 2011) First line: July 2001
LEFT: Portland Streetcar number 001 ap- proaches the Hoyt Street stop along NW 10th Avenue. BELOW: Completing the streetcar loop, our team runs to catch this train at the Galleria stop on MAX in order to ride a crucial bit of track eastbound through downtown. The day is nearing its end, and time has become a precious com- modity. DAN HANECKOW
day. By choosing to start at Wilsonville at the south end of WES, whatever else we did or rode, we had to be at Beaver- ton Transit Center no later than the de- parture of the last commuter train at 7:35. And worse yet, ahead we still had the streetcar. With large sections of in- street, mixed-traffic running, it was an unknown quantity in regards to timeli- ness. For now, though, we savored our par- tial victory. “This is the best of Portland right
here,” says Matt wistfully, looking out across the table at the view of MAX, the UP switching cars, the looming old in- dustrial buildings, and the soaring great arch of one of the city’s twelve bridges.
5:21 p.m.
the slower Yellow Line to the Expo Center, running down the middle of Mid Century Interstate Avenue is done too, and we alight at Albina/Mississip- pi along the latter route. Here, amidst grain elevators, old
brick warehouses, and the vast Union Pacific Albina Yard, we find a brief respite at the sidewalk tables outside
Widmer, one of the largest of the city’s craft breweries, and go over the rest of the day’s plans. “Wow,” says Dan. “Except for a small
stretch of MAX downtown, all that’s left now is the streetcar.” “Yeah, but we still have to get back to Wilsonville,” adds Matt. This was our biggest unknown of the
“Does this re- mind anyone
of a Japanese subway?” I ask. We are aboard the Portland Street-
car, along with what seems to be half of the city. It’s all elbows and shoulders. Dan looks about to answer when the car shudders to a halt, nearly sending me careening into another passenger. There are many differences between
the Portland Streetcar, (built by the City of Portland but operated under contract by TriMet,) and light rail, and these two qualities — the vast standing passengers, and the herky-jerky opera-
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