A and B Loop

A and B Loop
A and B Loop
	A streetcar operating the B Loop route and crossing the Broadway Bridge in 2016
Overview
Other name(s)	Portland Streetcar Loop Project; Central Loop Line (2012–2015);
Status	Operational
Owner	City of Portland
Locale	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Stations	52
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Portland Streetcar
Services	2
Operator(s)	Portland Streetcar, Inc.; TriMet;
Daily ridership	A Loop: 1,541; B Loop: 1,369; (Weekday, August 2022);
History
Opened	September 22, 2012
Technical
Line length	A Loop: 6.1 mi (9.8 km); B Loop: 6.6 mi (10.6 km);
Character	At-grade (mixed between street running and exclusive lane) and elevated
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 750 V DC
Route diagram
Route diagram
	Legend
	Broadway Bridge
	over Willamette River
	I-84
	Banfield Expressway
	PSU
	Urban Center
	SW 5th
	& Market
	I-5
	Marquam Bridge
	Tilikum Crossing
	over Willamette River
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

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.

^ "Construction Overview, The Portland Streetcar Loop Project". Portland Streetcar, Inc. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
^ "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.
^ "About Us Ridership + Performance". Portland Streetcar, Inc. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ 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.

[const-overview-dec2011-1] "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.

[portland-streetcar-ridership-aug2022-3] "About Us Ridership + Performance". Portland Streetcar, Inc. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

[streetcar-loop-fta-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.

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