The Little Steetcar That Could … and Did!

PORTLAND, OR – This city is going places. More specifically, Portland residents are going places on streetcars that carry people around the downtown area.

I’m in Portland for a two-day meeting of the NARP* board of directors that starts tomorrow. But today, we were treated to a tour of the Portland Streetcar system. We also visited the facilities of the United Streetcar Company, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works. The day was one eye-opener after another.

Take, for instance, the streetcars. They run on a circular 8-mile route through the center of the city, with no fare charged if people hop on and hop off in the very central part of town. Yearly passes are available for riding the streetcars in or through other areas. And everyone loves it. The system started out carrying 3400 people a day; today their typical daily ridership is 13,000 people.

The streetcars have also reduced automobile congestion and, more importantly, the system has revitalized the entire area it serves. Get this: The system began operating in 2001, but since 1997 when the commitment was made to build it, a total of $3.5 billion in new development has taken place around its 8-mile route … new condominiums and apartments, new restaurants and countless other small businesses serving a community that thrives 24/7. All that has meant jobs … lots of them.

Furthermore, in a spic and span industrial complex just a few miles away, United Streetcar is building more streetcars to add to Portland’s fleet. What’s more, they have had inquiries from 73 other cities that have seen what Portland has done and are thinking about the same for their towns.

Gee … d’ya think maybe these folks have stumbled on something?

*National Association of Railroad Passengers