NS Line

Planning for the restoration of streetcar services in downtown Portland, which had ceased operation in 1950,[7][8] was considered as early as the 1970s, when businessman and philanthropist Bill Naito led an effort to convince downtown property owners to help build a vintage trolley line.[9] In response to recommendations to develop a streetcar network by Portland's 1988 Central City Plan, a citizen-led advisory committee was established in 1990; they convinced the city to the conduct a feasibility study.[10][11] Early plans envisioned three lines, with the first line running up from John's Landing near the South Waterfront through downtown Portland to Northwest 23rd Avenue in the Nob Hill District.[12] This proposed line, initially referred to as the Central City Trolley, was predicted to run replicas of cars that once served Council Crest.[13]

Streetcars in downtown Portland in 1912

Project supporters and planners later renamed this the Central City Streetcar, after opting instead to employ modern, low-floor trams in the hopes that it would be seen as a transportation system rather than a tourist attraction.[14] Several alternative routes were considered in downtown Portland including the Portland Transit Mall on 5th and 6th avenues, and Park and 9th avenues. Both routes were rejected by nearby neighborhood associations.[15] In January 1994, the Portland City Council adopted a route between Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center on Northwest 23rd Avenue and PSU via 10th and 11th avenues,[16] and the following year, called for bids to design, build, and operate the proposed service. The nonprofit Portland Streetcar, Inc., which consisted of leaders from the city's businesses and public institutions, was the only firm to respond to the bid request.[14]

The city council authorized the streetcar project in July 1997.[17] The price for building the line was $56.9 million (equivalent to $80.1 million in 2019 dollars).[18] The city paid most of the cost and other local sources covered much of the remaining funds. City parking bonds provided most of the city's contribution of $28.6 million.[18] In September 1998, the city council created a local improvement district to collect funding from properties situated within two blocks of the streetcar alignment,[19] which contributed $9.6 million.[18] Following the defeat of TriMet's South–North Line in a regional ballot measure on November 3, 1998,[20] the Portland Development Commission allotted $7.5 million in tax increment funds from the South Park Blocks urban renewal area.[18] They were used to extend the streetcar route through the PSU Campus to Southwest 5th Avenue.[21] Only $5 million came from the Federal Transit Administration for construction; it was reallocated from TriMet to the city in exchange for a system allowing TriMet buses to trigger green lights at traffic signals.[18][19] Procurement and installation of tracks and wiring, and the construction of a maintenance barn beneath the Fremont Bridge were estimated at $28.2 million and $4 million, respectively.[22] In 1999, Czech firm Škoda was selected to provide the line's first five streetcars, which were valued at $12 million.[21] The streetcar order was expanded to seven in 2001 to provide enough cars to serve a planned future extension from PSU to RiverPlace.[23][6]

Construction of the Central City Streetcar line began on April 5, 1999, marked by a groundbreaking ceremony.[24] Crews from Stacy and Witbeck commenced utilities relocation work along Northwest Lovejoy Street that same day, followed by relocation work on 10th and 11th avenues in June.[24][25] Track-laying took place a week after the start of roadway demolition and progressed gradually southward through downtown.[24][26] Workers reached the PSU campus in June 2000, by which time university officials resolved the alignment of the tracks, putting the northbound segment diagonally though the newly built Urban Plaza and the southbound segment through the northern end of the campus.[27][28] The 7,800-square-foot (720 m²) maintenance facility, which would house the streetcars, was 90 percent complete by August.[29] Line testing commenced in January 2001,[30] using one of two replica-vintage trolleys that would be transferred from TriMet's Portland Vintage Trolley operation for planned weekend use on the new streetcar line.[31][32]

The line's completion, initially targeted for February, was pushed back to May owing to delays in pole and power line installation.[23] Additionally, the delivery of the first streetcar, which had been expected in late February, was delayed by six months by the acquisition of a line-of-credit deal, which had been established as a form of insurance in the event the cars did not work out.[23][33] The first car finally arrived in April, coinciding with the line's full-length electrification.[34]

Car 009 next to Moody Avenue in 2007, before this single-track section was replaced by double-track in a realigned section of that street

The first 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of the Portland Streetcar, which ran between Northwest 23rd Avenue and the PSU campus, opened on July 20, 2001.[35] The line was notably the first "second-generation streetcar" system in the United States and Portland's first new streetcar service in fifty years.[36][37][38] Opening day celebrations were held at various points along the line and free rides were offered for three days.[35] Four streetcars initially operated on weekdays, while three streetcars and one vintage trolley ran on weekends. The streetcar recorded 6,000 to 8,000 daily riders by September 2001, exceeding 1996 projections of between 2,700 and 4,700 riders per day.[39]

In 2004, construction began to extend the line 0.6 miles (0.97 km) south of PSU to RiverPlace.[40][41] This extension cost $16 million and began service on March 11, 2005.[18][42] It included a short length of two-way, single-track operation, about 100 yards (91 m) in length along Southwest Montgomery Street and 4th Avenue, equipped with signals for the streetcars to ensure that only one direction is in use at any given time.[43] This segment also includes the steepest grade on the system, 8.75 percent in the block of Southwest Harrison Street between 1st and 2nd avenues.[44]

Streetcar in South Waterfront, 2013

Another extension of 0.6 miles (0.97 km) south to the lower terminus of the Portland Aerial Tram at Southwest Gibbs Street in the South Waterfront opened on a temporary ballasted track on October 20, 2006.[45][46] It was initially a bidirectional single track, operating on a right-of-way acquired from the Willamette Shore Trolley, a heritage streetcar that continues to operate between Portland and Lake Oswego. On November 3, 2011, the streetcar line began using new double-track on a realigned section of Moody Avenue, which was built as part of the $66 million Moody multimodal project.[47][48] Two stops—OHSU Plaza and Southwest Moody & Gibbs—were built directly adjacent to the entrance to the Portland Aerial Tram, linking the lower campus of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to its campus atop Marquam Hill.[10] These stations received a connection to the Lair Hill neighborhood that was otherwise cut off by Interstate 5 (I-5) with the opening of the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge on July 14, 2012.[49]

On August 17, 2007, an extension of the line south of Gibbs Street to Southwest Lowell and Bond opened to better serve the South Waterfront district.[50][51] This 0.46-mile (0.7 km) extension is a 10-block loop, from Southwest Moody and Gibbs proceeding south on Moody Avenue, east on Lowell Street and north on Bond Avenue to OHSU Plaza at Gibbs.[52] This final extension of the line cost $14.45 million.[18] The extensions collectively increased the one-way length of the line to 4.06 miles (6.53 km).[lower-alpha 1]

Until 2012, the north–south streetcar line had no route name, being referred to only as the Portland Streetcar line, because it was the only line in the system. However, with the opening of the system's second line on September 22, 2012, the original line was designated the North South Line (abbreviated as NS Line) to distinguish it from the newly built Central Loop line (CL Line), later renamed Loop Service.[53][54]

One of the five streetcars that opened the line in 2001, shown westbound on NW Northrup Street in the Northwest Portland district in 2019

The NS Line is approximately 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long.[57]^:17[lower-alpha 1] Its northern terminus is Northwest 23rd & Marshall station in the Northwest District, which is situated on a turning loop near the intersection of Northwest 23rd Avenue and Northwest Marshall Street.[58] Between Northwest 23rd and 10th avenues, the streetcar alignment follows an east–west direction and is split between Northwest Northrup and Lovejoy streets, where cars travel northbound and southbound, respectively. On Northwest 15th and 16th avenues, the line runs beneath Interstate 405 (I-405), passing the system's maintenance barn.[29] It turns south on Northwest 10th and 11th avenues in the Pearl District and is joined by cars serving the Loop Service. On this segment, trains travel northbound on 10th Avenue and southbound on 11th Avenue, passing The Armory and Powell's City of Books.[59][60] The line enters Southwest Portland and upon traversing West Burnside Street. It crosses the Blue Line and Red Line tracks of MAX Light Rail on Southwest Morrison and Yamhill streets. Just north of the PSU campus, the southbound alignment turns east onto Southwest Market Street and south onto Southwest 5th Avenue, while the northbound segment turns east onto Southwest Mill Street and travels diagonally through PSU's Urban Plaza.[61][62]

The NS Line includes a short section of bidirectional single-track, about 100 feet (30 m) long, on Southwest Montgomery Street just east of Southwest 5th Avenue before the line turns south onto Southwest 4th Avenue. The section along the latter street was also single-track originally, until being doubled in 2014.[63][64] The line travels for one block along 4th before turning onto Southwest Harrison Street. The line enters RiverPlace via Southwest River Parkway where it turns south onto Southwest Moody Avenue, running beneath the I-5 and I-405 interchange. After passing the OHSU Robertson Life Sciences Building, it crosses the MAX Orange Line tracks, which are joined by the Loop Service alignment for the Tilikum Crossing. The NS Line continues southward, traveling under the Ross Island Bridge as its northbound tracks split eastward onto Southwest Bond Avenue between the lower terminal of the Portland Aerial Tram and the OHSU Center for Health & Healing. The tracks proceed southward and join at the Southwest Lowell Street turning loop, which is occupied by the line's southern terminus, Southwest Lowell & Bond station.[62][65]

Southwest 5th & Montgomery station

Southwest Moody & Gibbs station

The NS Line serves 39 stations, of which 24 are shared with the Loop Service.[62] Each platform is equipped with a ticket vending machine, real-time display system, and line information signs.[66] All stations are accessible to users with limited mobility.[67] Connections to MAX Light Rail are available at five stops across the line and a connection to the Portland Aerial Tram, which links the South Waterfront and Marquam Hill campuses of OHSU, can be made at the Southwest Moody & Gibbs and OHSU Plaza stations.[61][68]

In February 2016, four stations—Northwest 10th & Everett, Northwest 11th & Everett, Southwest 10th & Stark, and Southwest 1st & Harrison—were temporarily closed as part of a trial run to speed up travel times, particularly at stops that were prone to vehicular collisions.[69] The following month, Portland Streetcar made the closures permanent, having reduced travel time through downtown by two minutes. Some decommissioned platforms were later converted into Biketown stations.[70]

Station		Neighborhood	Connections and notes[62]
Northbound	Southbound
—	Northwest 23rd & Marshall†	Northwest/ Nob Hill	Serves Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center
Northwest 22nd & Northrup	Northwest 22nd & Lovejoy
Northwest 21st & Northrup	Northwest 21st & Lovejoy
Northwest 18th & Northrup	Northwest 18th & Lovejoy		—
Northwest 14th & Northrup	Northwest 13th & Lovejoy	Pearl District	—
Northwest 12th & Northrup	—		—
Northwest 10th & Northrup	—		B  Loop
Northwest 10th & Johnson	Northwest 11th & Johnson		A ,  B  Loops
Northwest 10th & Glisan	Northwest 11th & Glisan		A ,  B  Loops
Northwest 10th & Couch	Northwest 11th & Couch		A ,  B  Loops Serves The Armory, Powell's City of Books
Southwest 10th & Alder	Southwest 11th & Alder	Downtown	A ,  B  Loops
Central Library	Southwest 11th & Taylor		A ,  B  Loops; Library and Galleria stations: Blue, Red lines Serves Central Library
Art Museum	Southwest 11th & Jefferson		A ,  B  Loops Serves Portland Art Museum
Southwest 10th & Clay	Southwest 11th & Clay		A ,  B  Loops
Southwest Park & Mill	Southwest Park & Market		A ,  B  Loops Serves South Park Blocks
—	Southwest 5th & Market		B  Loop Serves Portland State University
PSU Urban Center	Southwest 5th & Montgomery		A ,  B  Loops; PSU Urban Center stations: Green, Orange, Yellow lines Serves Portland State University
Southwest 3rd & Harrison			A ,  B  Loops
Southwest Harrison Street			A ,  B  Loops Serves RiverPlace
Southwest River Parkway & Moody			A ,  B  Loops Serves RiverPlace
Southwest Moody & Meade		South Waterfront	A ,  B  Loops; South Waterfront/Southwest Moody station: Orange Line Serves OHSU Robertson Life Sciences Building, Tilikum Crossing
OHSU Plaza	Southwest Moody & Gibbs		Portland Aerial Tram Serves OHSU Center for Health & Healing
Southwest Bond & Lane	Southwest Moody & Gaines		—
Southwest Lowell & Bond†	—		—

A replica-vintage trolley running along Portland Streetcar tracks in 2001

From 2001 to 2005, Portland Vintage Trolley service operated on the NS Line on most weekends. Of four replica 1904 Brill streetcars owned by TriMet and in use on the MAX Light Rail system between 1991 and 2014, two were transferred to the city for use on the Portland Streetcar line. The service operated on Saturdays and Sundays, using one car at a time, from approximately 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, on regularly scheduled trips that otherwise would be operated by a modern Škoda car. They were non-wheelchair accessible.[6]

Vintage Trolley service on the Portland Streetcar was temporarily suspended near the end of November 2005,[71] in part due to maintenance problems with the two cars, and because the opening of the extension from PSU to RiverPlace in March 2005 caused operations difficulties with the faux-vintage trolley cars. The Vintage Trolley service, which resumed in May 2005 after a five-month suspension for repair work on the two cars, continued to end at PSU, not serving the section to RiverPlace.[72] The late-2005 suspension eventually became permanent; the two Vintage Trolley cars were transferred back to TriMet, which transferred them over to the Willamette Shore Trolley in 2013.[73][74]