Planners here say these cars are intended not for tourist nostalgia trips but as a way to keep commuters moving and the downtown vital in an era of explosive growth. It has killed a lot of cities. We want to have a continually growing and healthy downtown. The streetcar is just a small part of long-range planning for a metropolitan area that has nearly 1.5 million people and expects another half million to move in over the next 20 years. Bus lines change.
Rails have a sense of permanence.
Nobody makes them in the United States. But the company has not sold a lot of them in the Western world and these are the first in the United States. The Czechs are thrilled to have the opportunity. Track is being laid for the initial 4.3 miles at the edge of the downtown area with connections to light rail and bus lines. The initial loop will connect the Pearl District, a 150-acre former industrial area programmed for upscale development, to the downtown area and Portland State University.