Portland Aerial Tram

Portland Aerial Tram
OHSU Tram
The Portland Aerial Tram car nearing the upper station
Overview
StatusOperational
CharacterCommuter
LocationPortland, Oregon
CountryUnited States
TerminiSouth Waterfront neighborhood
OHSU Hospital
No. of stations2
OpenDecember 15, 2006 (2006-12-15)
Websitegobytram.com
Operation
OwnerCity of Portland Government
OperatorOHSU
Ridership10,000 per weekday.[1]
Technical features
Aerial lift typeAerial tramway
Manufactured byDoppelmayr
Operating speed22 mph (35 km/h)

The Portland Aerial Tram or OHSU Tram is an aerial tramway in Portland, Oregon, that connects the city's South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus, located in the Marquam Hill neighborhood. It is one of only two commuter aerial tramways in the United States, the other being New York City's Roosevelt Island Tramway.[2] The tram travels a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and a vertical distance of 500 feet (152 m) in a ride that lasts three minutes.[3]

The tram was jointly funded by OHSU, the City of Portland, and by South Waterfront property owners, with most of the funding coming from OHSU. It is owned by the city and operated by OHSU. While most passengers are affiliated with OHSU, it is open to the public and operated as part of Portland's public transportation network that includes the Portland Streetcar, MAX Light Rail, and TriMet buses. After opening in December 2006, the tram carried its one millionth passenger on October 17, 2007[4] and its ten millionth rider on January 8, 2014.[5] A round-trip ticket costs $8 but is free for OHSU patients and certain visitors; OHSU employees and students ride free by showing their ID badges.[6]

The tram cost $57 million to build—a nearly fourfold increase over initial cost estimates, which was one of several sources of controversy concerning the project.[7]

  1. ^ "Tram Turns Ten". Portland Bureau of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Portland's commuter tram offers postcard views of Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood". International Herald Tribune Americas. March 4, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  3. ^ "The Portland Aerial Tram". Portland Office of Transportation. Archived from the original on November 18, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference onemillion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference tenmill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Portland Aerial Tram". Oregon Health & Science University. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  7. ^ Brian Barker (January 9, 2007). "Tram ride will now set you back $4". KATU. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.