Category: Modes

  • Happy Birthday to the Little Train that Could

    It’s been five years since a parade led the first convoy of Streetcars from PSU out onto the rails with passenger service. On Friday, Commissioner Sam Adams will lead a party that will celebrate: – 5 years of successful Streetcar operation – Streetcar’s 10,000,000th passenger – Regional adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative for bringing…

  • The Streetcar that Swallowed the Meeting

    Yesterday morning at JPACT, discussion of Eastside Streetcar chewed up almost the whole meeting (Sam Adams’ resolution about Hayden Island used the rest). The rest of the agenda got pushed out to August. In the end, the committee unanimously endorsed Metro Council adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative, but not before a number of neighborhood…

  • Sam Adams Gets Right to the Point at PDC

    Yesterday the Portland Development Commission got their briefing on the Locally Preferred Alternative for Eastside Streetcar (the tour of local governments continues – this morning JPACT will review the LPA and make a recommendation to the finally adopting body, the Metro Council). Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams led off the discussion and after reviewing the benefits…

  • Washington Groups Say Rail is an Answer

    Across the river in Washington, stakeholder groups advising the State Transportation Commission are recommending more freight rail capacity as a strategy to reduce highway congestion. The strategy is two-fold: – Reduce growth in truck traffic – Reduce current freight rail congestion that is slowing passenger trains Any chance of getting similarly enlightened thinking on this…

  • In Defense of Rail Transit

    Rail transit is regularly criticized, including by some commenters on this site, as cost-ineffective with respect to buses or other modes, particularly with respect to reducing congestion.. VTPI has recently produced an overview of the literature on the benefits of trail transit (PDF, 36K).