Portland Streetcar to buy CAF trams

After issuing a tender for new low-floor trams for its urban tramway system, the US city of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation has awarded a contract for the purchase of 15 double-ended 20m trams to CAF USA. The company will build them at its rolling stock assembly plant in Elmira, NY, with the final specification now the subject of contract negotiations. They will be equipped with batteries to permit operation on the expansion of the 3.9-mile (6.3km) south–north line to Montgomery Park (2.3 miles, 3.7km), that will not be equipped with overhead wire. This is due to be built in 2028-2030. The new trams will replace the Czech-built Skoda 10T trams that were built to launch the new operation in 2001 between NW 23rd Avenue and Portland State University. Subsequent expansion has taken the street-based system to three lines covering 7.2 miles (11.6km) and carrying over 2.6M passengers/year. Portland Streetcar is complementary to the MAX light rail system that links the city centre with outer suburbs and the airport. CAF has already built or has orders for trams in Kansas City, Cincinnati and Omaha. 

 

Portland Streetcar Executive Director Dan Bower said, ‘Replacing 25 year old vehicles with brand new streetcars will be an improvement in the comfort, safety and reliability riders an expect, and sets the stage for the next 30 years of success’.