Take a Close Look at the Streetcar System in Portland - Portland Streetcar

The Portland Streetcar System was opened on July 20, 2001 for serving areas around Downtown Portland. It is owned by Portland city and operated by TriMet.

The system is distinct in itself, to become the first modern streetcar system in the U.S. It has a regular service run of around every 13 minutes in the day-time. Presently it runs on an approximately 4 mile long line connecting the north-west part with the south-west downtown part. It is in process to be supported by a second line. This line services around 12,000 riders on daily basis and takes around 60-70 minutes. In the fiscal year 2008-09, more than 3.9 million riders boarded the Portland Streetcar.

It keeps running until 11:30 p.m. during Monday-Thursday, but extends its service to 11:45 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday it stops at 10:30 p.m.

In addition to Federal funding, the streetcar system is respectably supported through sponsorships from businesses and other organizations.

It is also worth noting that streetcars have immensely given a push to business growth in Portland. From 1997 onwards more than 54 million square feet of commercial space has popped up within a couple of blocks from streetcar hub in the city. And as per the development report of streetcar, the investment in these blocks has been to the tune of $ 3.5 billion.

An economical and all-day valid $ 2 per ticket rate is attractive for the public. In addition a pass from Tri-Met enables riders to use any of the public transportation systems. There is also a free-of-charge zone in the downtown, where riders can travel without paying any fare.