The Portland Streetcar is designed to fit the scale and traffic patterns of the neighborhoods through which it travels. Streetcar vehicles, manufactured by Skoda-Inekon in Plzen of the Czech Republic, are 2.46 meters (about 8 feet) wide and 20 meters long (about 66 feet), about 10 inches narrower and 1/3 the length of a MAX (TriMet’s light rail system) double car train. They run in the right lane in mixed traffic and, excepting at platform stops, accommodate existing curbside parking and loading. The Portland Streetcar is owned and operated by the City of Portland.

During construction neighborhood disruption was minimized. A unique shallow 12-inch deep track slab design reduced the construction time and utility relocations. Maneuverability of the shorter and narrower Skoda vehicles has allowed the 8-foot wide track slab to be fitted to existing grades limiting the scope of street and sidewalk reconstruction.

Route:
Streetcars run on a 4.8 continuous loop from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital at NW 23rd Avenue, on Lovejoy and Northrup, through the Pearl District and on 10th and 11th Avenues to Riverplace

Vehicles:
Streetcar vehicles carry a sardine load of up to 140 passengers, are air-conditioned and have a low-floor center section (like the new MAX vehicles) with full handicapped accessibility. Our fleet of seven Streetcars were manufactured in the Czech Republic by Skoda-Inekon in Plzen.

Stops:
A total of 32 stops are located along the alignment located about every 3-4 blocks. In March 2002, Streetcar arrival system was installed at most stops and on the Internet. This GPS tracking system allows our customers to check at the stop reader board and on the Internet to find out when the next Streetcars will arrive.

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