Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension

The Portland Streetcar could soon be getting an extension into the Montgomery Park area of NW Portland. Is that a good idea? Well, this video covers facts as well as opinions on this project.
Portland Streetcar's webpage on the project: portlandstreetcar.org/about-u...
Interstate Bridge Replacement video I made recently: • Interstate Bridge Repl...
My video on the 12 Elements of building a good streetcar network: • How to Design a Decent...

[@SWExplore]

Zac, I am not a resident of Portland and instead live in urban Los Angeles. I've subbed and like your videos for a little while now and enjoy your interest in how your city and its transit systems are planned. I think you are destined to be an excellent city planner down the road, so please keep up the good work!

[@sandarumcall2451]

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MATE!!!!!!

[@ross4]

Battery powered trains don’t work. Reliability nightmare. Add the wire. You are so correct.

[@andrewmurray9391]

I don't know if they worked it out yet, but I love the story of the Frito Lay delivery driver who would run out of battery power after coming back from his rounds in the expanses of WA., predictably, every day on the I-5 bridge. Everybody else loved to wave and laugh, every single day.

[@joshhancock3163]

I couldnt agree with you more. As soon as i heard they wanted to have battery operated street cars so they can be used off wire, I couldn't believe they would even consider that. Getting special, new train sets with batteries thatll need to be replaced and adding unnecessary complexity to a system thats already proven would be such a waste. Hopefully they realize this mistake and can get the additional funds to just build some extra wiring and such.

[@daviddooley5361]

Back several years ago I went on a group bike ride put on by PBOT and the guy from PBOT mentioned that Portland was made up of different little towns which came together to form the city of Portland and each little town is now different neighborhoods. And it sounds to me like the battery powered streetcars would be a type of hybrid. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to modify existing street cars by adding batteries, like I said maybe.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Great video as usual, I totally agree! In fact I wish you would talk about the rest of the US more often. Its ok to constantly use Portland as an example but this applies to everywhere as you stated! Either way, couldnt agree more. :]

[@ferris-fam]

7:05 being sassy, it makes no sense to have it battery, just use the same technology that the rest of the network uses and make it less complicated so you can use the preexisting streetcar stock and buy more conventional streetcars

[@himbourbanist]

I was so on board until you mentioned it was off-wire. Why are agencies so determined to use batteries for part of their line? It's such a bad idea. I would literally rather they used DMUs than try to rely on stupid battery streetcars, in the worst case scenario. They need to just electrify the route

[@YimboSlyce]

I think this extension is huge for NW, but they really have to build a catenary. Battery electric streetcars are the worst feature of many "modern streetcar" systems across the U.S., not to mention the environmental and human rights impact of battery production.

[@tristanpassemard9365]

I think this extension of the streetcar will not work and it is a complete waste of money, I think it would be way better if trimet was to consider using those funds to find a way to make the green line extension to Bridgeport Village work sustainably, and also plan out other extensions for new FX routes or new extensions for the max, and maybe also upgrading some parking garages at existing max stations or park and rides, I think that would be a better use of the funds.