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Planning
Plans to expand the Portland Streetcar east of the Willamette River emerged in July 1997, at the same time the Portland City Council authorized the construction of the system's first line, between Northwest Portland and Portland State University. During this time, the council also voted to fund a $16.7 million retrofitting of the Hawthorne Bridge, which they had anticipated would carry a future streetcar line between the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and the Oregon Convention Center, one of many proposed by the Buckman Neighborhood Association for the east side. The Hawthorne Bridge reopened in April 1999, with the outer-lane deck rebuilt to accommodate notches for rails. In July 2001, another plan was proposed by the Lloyd District Development Strategy. The strategy sought the addition of streetcars to the Lloyd District's existing transit services, already composed of bus and MAX Light Rail, to create a transit hub, by adding lines on Northeast Broadway and Weilder avenues. The extension would connect with the west side via the Broadway Bridge. This plan was also supported by concurrent efforts to revitalize nearby Rose Quarter.

An advisory committee, largely composed of local residents, began convening in February 2003 to initiate serious discussions regarding the extension. In a series of meetings, some eastside residents urged extending the line up to 21st Avenue, while Portland Streetcar officials, amid TriMet plans to construct a new river span near Southeast Caruthers Street for a planned MAX extension to Milwaukie, suggested routing the streetcar along this new bridge, instead of the Hawthorne Bridge. In June 2003, project planners, with backing from Multnomah County commissioners, outlined a three-phased eastside loop that ran from the Broadway Bridge to the Lloyd District, then south through Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Hawthorne Boulevard. A southern crossing back to the west side depended upon whether the new bridge would be constructed, leaving that section undetermined at the time. The project was estimated to cost over $100 million.

Funding and construction
In December 2003, the U.S. Congress passed an appropriations bill that granted $2.49 million to the city of Portland, $290,000 of which went to streetcar planning.

Old segments used by MAX
http://www.trainweb.org/mccann/trivia.htm

Rolling stock


TriMet operates five models of light rail vehicles of which two were successive upgrades of the same model. They are designated by the agency as Type 1 through Type 5 and total 145 cars. The models vary in length, from 89 ft to 95 ft, though all of them are used interchangeably by every line on the network. The first type, Type 1, total 26 vehicles and were manufactured by a joint venture between La Brugeoise et Nivelles and Bombardier beginning in 1983 for the Banfield light rail project. Similar in design to Bombardier vehicles used in Brussels and Rio de Janeiro, the first of the high-floor vehicles arrived in Portland in 1984. Wayside lifts were installed on stations of the original MAX line in order to accommodate riders using mobility devices.

With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Tri-Met officials conducted an accessibility study in 1992 and determined low-floor cars were the most cost-effective alternative to providing universal access to the system. Amid preparations for the Westside MAX project, the MAX became the first light rail system in North America to acquire low-floor train sets following the procurement of 35 model SD660 cars, dubbed Type 2, from Siemens in 1993. The Type 2 trains, equipped with built-in wheelchair ramps, entered service during the partial opening of the Westside MAX in 1997. In 1999, Tri-Met ordered 17 additional Type 2 cars for the Airport MAX project. The system's 27 Type 3 vehicles, which were ordered as part of the Interstate MAX project and first brought into use in 2003, are the same model as the Type 2 vehicles, with the primary differences being various technical upgrades and a new paint scheme.

22 Siemens S70 low-floor cars, designated Type 4, were purchased in conjunction with the I-205 MAX and Portland Transit Mall projects and were first used in 2009. They feature a more streamlined design, have more seating, and are lighter in weight and therefore more energy-efficient. The Type 4 cars were also the first to use LED-type destination signs. The second series of Siemens S70 cars, TriMet's Type 5 vehicles, were procured for the Portland–Milwaukie light rail project. TriMet placed the order for the Type 5 cars with Siemens in 2012 and delivery commenced in 2014. These vehicles include some improvements over the Type 4 cars, including a less-cramped interior seating layout, and improvements to the air-conditioning system and wheelchair ramps.

The majority of MAX service is provided by two-car consists. Type 2 and 3 vehicles are capable of running singularly, or coupled to another Type 1, 2, or 3 vehicle. Trainsets composed of one low-floor and one high-floor car allowed the removal of wayside lifts from Eastside MAX stations. Type 4 and 5 trains can only be coupled with one another.

Current fleet
Notes on capacities:
 * The capacities given are for a single car; a two-car train has double the capacity.
 * The Type 2 cars originally had 72 seats, but eight seats were later removed, to make space for bicycles.
 * All of these capacity figures are based on "normal" loading conditions (defined as 4 standing passengers per square meter by industry standards ); under so-called "crush" loading conditions (6-8 standees per m2), all of these cars are capable of carrying many more passengers than stated here.

Early proposals
In the mid-1980s, Metro announced plans to introduce light rail to Clackamas County with the proposal of two lines: one between Portland International Airport and Clackamas Town Center via Interstate 205, and another between downtown Portland and Oregon City via Milwaukie. A panel of local and state officials, referred to as the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, affirmed their endorsement of an I-205 line in 1987 with a request to start preliminary engineering for light rail in lieu of an originally-planned busway. As planning for what would become the Westside MAX extension took priority for federal funding, TriMet called on local businesses and governments in Clackamas County to subsidize the proposed $88 million route. A dispute between Washington and Clackamas county officials followed, as Clackamas County vied for additional federal assistance, including $17 million in excess funds sourced from the partially-completed I-205 Transitway. In January 1989, Metro approved a ten-year regional transit development plan; it reasserted the westside line's priority and commissioned preliminary work on the I-205 line, as well as another for a Milwaukie extension. The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a financing package in September, which provided $2 million to study both segments. At the behest of Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield and Washington Senator Brock Adams, who were members of the committee, a northbound segment up to the Clark County Fairgrounds near Vancouver, Washington became part of the proposal. The studies later shifted support to another alignment, along the busier I-5 and Willamette River corridors. A 25 mi route from Hazel Dell, Washington through downtown Portland to Clackamas Town Center, called the South–North Line, was finalized in 1994.

I-205 planning and construction
Construction of the I-205 extension began in March 2007. Initial work, which temporarily closed portions of the I-205 Bike Path, involved drilling shafts and driving piles for light rail bridges over Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard and Southeast Harold Street, and excavation work for an underpass below Southeast Stark and Washington Streets.

Transit Mall revitalization


A north–south light rail alignment through downtown Portland had been considered as early as the 1980s. In 1991, Portland City Council commissioned a feasibility study for a potential subway line beneath the transit mall following recommendations made by a citizen advisory committee. During the planning stages of the South–North Line in 1994, local and regional government planners introduced a surface light rail alternative, which was later favored by the project's steering committee after it concluded that an additional $250 million for an underground tunnel was not feasible. Following the cancellation of the South–North Line, the city reserved revitalization efforts for the transit mall amid proposals to rebuild it to allow curbside parking in 2002. In 2003, it became part of the I-205 MAX project, after TriMet determined that adding a fourth service to the existing tracks along Southwest Morrison and Yamhill streets would push the downtown light rail segment to maximum capacity. A study conducted by TriMet proposed stations on either the left, right, or middle lanes of 5th and 6th avenues; planners selected center-lane travel with a right-side boarding option in April 2004. Local governments approved the revitalization plan by May. Consisting of seven stations per split, the project extended the existing transit mall from 44 to 117 block faces between Portland Union Station and PSU.

Preparation work began in January 2007 with the rerouting of 17 bus lines to 3rd and 4th avenues, six lines to Southwest Columbia and Jefferson streets, and one line, 14–Hawthorne, to Southwest 2nd Avenue. Despite initial traffic concerns, the relocation of bus stops did not affect the on-time performance of any service. Construction commenced promptly after. Owing to techniques learned from the Interstate MAX project, businesses were kept open while blocks were closed off in sections in an effort to minimize disruptions. 5th and 6th Avenues reopened to vehicular traffic in July 2008, two months ahead of schedule.

Funding and opening
Federal funding, which covered 60 percent of the combined project's total cost, was approved in February 2006 under the New Starts program. An additional $15.3 million was spent by downtown businesses to improve retail spaces along the transit mall alignment.

Green Line service commenced on September 12, 2009. Opening day festivities, paid for by sponsors and donations, were held at Clackamas Town Center and Portland State University. As many as 40,000 people showed up to ride the trains, which had been offered for free on that day. TriMet simultaneously eliminated bus routes 153–South End Loop, 41–Tacoma, 74–Lloyd District/Southeast, 86–Alderwood, and implemented service cuts to 49 other lines in an effort to address its $31 million budget deficit. While planners projected 25,250 average weekday riders during the first year, fewer people than expected utilized the line on its first weekday commute service. By the following month, however, the line had been recording 17,000 trips per day. A study conducted by Portland State University anticipates 46,500 daily boardings by 2025.

Manila LRT Line 1 lead
The Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 (LRT Line 1) is a rapid transit line in Metro Manila, Philippines, owned by the Light Rail Transit Authority as part of the Manila Light Rail Transit System. Operated by the Light Rail Manila Corporation, the line spans 19.7 km along a fully-elevated route, currently serving twenty stations between Roosevelt and Baclaran. It connects the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, and Parañaque, running predominantly north–south from Baclaran in Pasay City to Monumento in Caloocan City, and east–west from Monumento to North Avenue in Quezon City. Passengers can transfer to LRT Line 2 at Doroteo Jose station and to Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 at EDSA station.

NS Line (Portland Streetcar) history
The restoration of streetcar services in downtown Portland was first considered in 1990, when the city established an advisory committee and began a feasibility study in response to recommendations made by the 1988 Central City Plan. Planners initially envisioned three vintage trolley lines, with the first line running up from John's Landing near the South Waterfront through downtown Portland to Northwest 23rd Avenue in the Nob Hill District. In October 1991, a congressional panel offered federal matching funds for the design and engineering of a 2.3 mi preliminary alignment between Southwest Harbor Drive and Northwest Hoyt Street. The line, initially referred to as the Central City Trolley, was slated to run replicas of cars that once served Council Crest. City officials later renamed the project Central City Streetcar, opting instead to use modern trams. Planning continued in 1995 with the city calling for bids to design and build the first proposal, acquiring a response from a lone bidder, Portland Streetcar, Inc.

Impact on development
As with the original streetcar line on the west side, the eastside extension is credited with encouraging development along and near its route. Portland city and streetcar officials have claimed that major redevelopment projects in the Lloyd District, including years-long efforts by Metro to build a convention center hotel, began or were announced after the extension had started construction. In 2013, Hassalo on Eighth broke ground at the Lloyd 700 "superblock", where the eastside extension was deliberately routed to support redevelopment. A study published for the Transportation Research Record in 2018 noted that observed stations along the CL Line increased employment around their areas by 22 percent between 2016 and 2013, compared to just eight percent by Multnomah County.