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Portland Streetcar and TriMet: Partners for Greater Mobility and Community Development
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BY NEIL McFARLANE
General Manager, TriMet
Portland, OR
 When the first modern streetcar line opened in May 2001, it wasn’t obvious that TriMet would be a partner.
The Portland Streetcar was started by downtown Portland interests and the city of Portland. TriMet reacted with skepticism as we were focused on securing federal funding for its 18 mile Westside MAX light rail expansion and were concerned about the streetcar competing for funding. |
TriMet was drawn in at first by its own union, which wanted to be the operator, and by the city, which wanted to utilize TriMet’s experience as the transit operator. The city funded transit signal priority to improve our bus operations in exchange for funding part of the streetcar operations. Over the years, TriMet and the city agreed to a funding agreement that capped TriMet’s contribution to about 50 percent.
By the time the eastside streetcar line was opened in 2011, making a system rather than just a line, TriMet and the city recognized the need for a more permanent, strategic partnership, rather than just the Operating Agreement that had been amended again and again over the course of more than a dozen years.
In 2012, TriMet and the city signed a Master Agreement. It guides future annual Operating Agreements and sets up a Permanent Executive Group to ensure coordination in planning, prioritizing and budgeting among TriMet, the city and the operating assistance organization, Portland Streetcar Inc. It also created a streetcar planning group with representatives from all three partners, who meet monthly to ensure coordination among the parties.
Fundamentally, the Master Agreement recognizes the complementary goals of the partners: development and mobility. It also recognizes the maturation of the streetcar system and the service. In service for 14 years now, the system’s long-term asset management becomes more significant, stressing the need for complete and well-coordinated capital and operations planning.
With the agreement, the city takes on long-term responsibility for capital and maintenance. As each line matures in development and ridership, TriMet takes on a larger share of the operating cost (starting at 50 percent and ending at 85 percent as ridership and development targets are reached).
The creation and expansion of the streetcar has helped transform the community it serves, allowing more economically vibrant development and more vital neighborhoods.
And the transportation benefits go beyond mobility with development changes and more public transit options, many more trips are now made on foot or by bike, meaning more people can travel with less congestion on the roads.
There has been more than $4.5 billion in development along the streetcar system, and just this year it has helped prompt more than 7,000 residential units opening or under construction.
Ridership is about 15,000 per weekday, with cost-effectiveness per passenger comparable to some of TriMet’s best bus lines. The Master Agreement sets the stage for continued success of this first modern streetcar line in the U.S.
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