A and B Loop

A and B Loop
refer to caption
A streetcar operating the B Loop route and crossing the Broadway Bridge in 2016
Overview
Other name(s)
  • Portland Streetcar Loop Project[1][2]
  • Central Loop Line (2012–2015)
StatusOperational
OwnerCity of Portland
LocalePortland, Oregon, U.S.
Stations52
Service
TypeStreetcar
SystemPortland Streetcar
Services2
Operator(s)
  • Portland Streetcar, Inc.
  • TriMet
Daily ridership
  • A Loop: 1,541
  • B Loop: 1,369
  • (Weekday, August 2022)[3]
History
OpenedSeptember 22, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-09-22)
Technical
Line length
  • A Loop: 6.1 mi (9.8 km)
  • B Loop: 6.6 mi (10.6 km)
CharacterAt-grade (mixed between street running and exclusive lane) and elevated[4]: 17 
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line750 V DC
Route diagram

NW 11th & Marshall
NW 10th & Northrup
NW 9th & Lovejoy
Broadway Bridge
over Willamette River
N Broadway/Weidler & Ross
NW 11th/10th & Johnson
NW 11th/10th & Glisan
NE Weidler & 2nd
NE Broadway & 2nd
NW 11th/10th & Couch
NE Broadway/Weidler & Grand
NE 7th & Halsey
SW 11th/10th & Alder
NE Grand & Multnomah
Northeast 7th Avenue & Holladay
Central Library
NE Grand & Holladay
SW 11th & Taylor
NE Oregon & Grand
Art Museum
SW 11th and Jefferson
NE Grand & Hoyt
SW 11th/10th & Clay
NE MLK & Hoyt
SE Grand & Burnside
SW Park & Market/Mill
SE MLK & Burnside
SE Grand & Stark
SE MLK & Stark
PSU
Urban Center
SW 5th
& Market
SE Grand & Morrison
SE MLK & Morrison
SW 5th & Montgomery
SE Grand & Taylor
SE MLK & Taylor
SW 3rd & Harrison
SE Grand & Hawthorne
SE MLK & Hawthorne
SW Harrison Street
SE Grand & Mill
S River Parkway & Moody
SE MLK & Mill
S Moody & Meade
OMSI
Tilikum Crossing
over Willamette River

The A and B Loop is a streetcar circle route of the Portland Streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, United States. Operated by Portland Streetcar, Inc. and TriMet, it is made up of two separate services: the 6.1-mile (9.8 km) A Loop, which runs clockwise, and the 6.6-mile (10.6 km) B Loop, which runs counterclockwise. The route travels a loop between the east and west sides of the Willamette River by crossing the Broadway Bridge in the north and Tilikum Crossing in the south.

The A and B Loop connects Portland's downtown, Pearl District, Lloyd District, Central Eastside, and South Waterfront. It serves various landmarks and institutions, including the Rose Quarter, the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), and Portland State University (PSU). Riders can transfer to Frequent Express (FX) and MAX Light Rail from several stations along the route.

Portland city officials considered an eastside streetcar line upon authorizing the Central City Streetcar on the west side in 1997. After several years of planning, the Portland Streetcar Loop Project was approved and held its groundbreaking in 2009. The first 3.3 miles (5.3 km) opened between the Broadway Bridge and OMSI on September 22, 2012. It was inaugurated by the Central Loop Line (CL Line) service, which ran additionally on the westside along 10th and 11th avenues. The opening of Tilikum Crossing in 2015 extended the streetcar from OMSI to the South Waterfront; this completed the loop, and the CL Line was rebranded to A and B Loop.

  1. ^ "Construction Overview, The Portland Streetcar Loop Project". Portland Streetcar, Inc. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Portland Streetcar Loop Project (Formerly the Eastside Transit Alternatives Analysis) Locally Preferred Alternative" (PDF). Metro. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "About Us Ridership + Performance". Portland Streetcar, Inc. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Streetcar Loop Project Before-and-After Study (2016) (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2020.