Portland to buy two new streetcars

Oregon's Portland Streetcar last week obtained permission from the Portland City Council to buy two new streetcars to boost service frequency.

To be manufactured by Brookville Equipment Co., the new units will allow for more frequent service on the streetcar system's A and B loops connecting downtown Portland and the city's Central Eastside.

The Liberty model streetcars are expected to cost $10 million total, The Oregonian reported. The purchase is partially funded by $700,000 in contributions from parking meter revenue, according to a Portland Streetcar press release.

The new units are slated to enter service in 2020. At present, the Portland Streetcar operates 17 streetcars. Each day, the system serves 15,000 riders on the A/B loops and the North/South Line. Ridership is expected to hit 20,000 daily passengers by 2025.

"In the past couple years, we've added service to the North/South Line and consolidated stops to save time and enhance safety," said Portland Streetcar Executive Director Dan Bower. "The addition of these two new cars from Brookville will help us take that next step and further reduce the time Portlanders are waiting to board the streetcar."

Brookville is building streetcars for systems across the United States, including Sound Transit's Tacoma Link streetcar system and Valley Metro's planned streetcar line in Tempe, Arizona.