Portland — Streetcar for Lake Oswego?

Rail Transit Online, August 2007

A transportation advisory committee is preparing its final report that will recommend a preferred mode for a transit connection between Portland and Lake Oswego.  The three choices are an extension of the Portland Streetcar, bus rapid transit and retaining the status quo.  Both the streetcar, which appears to have the strongest support, and BRT would utilize the Willamette Shore Trolley’s right-of-way, which is publicly owned.  The trolley operates an infrequent heritage service seasonally.  A recent study projected that a streetcar would draw about 10,900 weekday riders in the year 2025 compared with 8,700 on bus rapid transit and 6,780 on conventional buses under the no-build option.  The streetcar would cost $233 million if a pedestrian and bike trail is included.  Without the trail, the price tag drops to about $149 million.