PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Streetcar has returned to regular service on Sunday morning, according to a spokesperson from Portland Streetcar.
Portland Streetcar said, a crew finished repairing the overhead catenary system issue late Saturday night and moved a test vehicle through the area in both directions.
Public transportation in Portland's central city saw widespread disruptions on Saturday as both TriMet MAX and Portland Streetcar shut down service due to electrical outages.
Portland Streetcar announced shortly after 3 p.m. that it was suspending service for the afternoon due to heat-related power outages "happening all over the system."
"All streetcar service is being suspended this afternoon until power is reliably restored," Portland Streetcar said in a tweet.
They later added that TriMet buses were serving streetcar stops, but warned riders to expect longer than usual wait times as there were only a few buses available.
Around the same time, TriMet said that an issue with the overhead wire near Portland State University had disrupted the MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines.
The Green Line continued to operate between Clackamas Town Center and the Rose Quarter, with shuttle buses filling the gap between the Rose Quarter transit center and the Galleria/SW 10th Avenue.
For the MAX Orange and Yellow lines, TriMet said shuttle buses would serve stations between Interstate/Rose Quarter and Clinton/SE 12th Avenue.
In response to an inquiry from KGW, TriMet said it was too early to tell whether the overhead line issue at PSU was heat-related, and it was still under investigation.
"While high temperatures can cause the overhead wires that power MAX trains to lose tension and sag, TriMet had no reports of sagging wires in the area at the time," an agency spokesperson said.
There was no reported damage to the train or the pantograph, which is the arm-like piece of equipment that connects the train to overhead wires. Crews were working to make repairs so that MAX service could be restored.
Though the incident happened at Southwest 5th and Mill, an intersection shared by MAX and Portland Streetcar, TriMet indicated that issues with MAX and Portland Streetcar appeared to be unrelated.
