PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A collision between a streetcar and a truck knocked the Streetcar off its rails on Wednesday afternoon, causing traffic delays in Northeast Portland.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation said the driver of the Ford was either changing lanes or trying to turn onto NE 2nd Avenue from NW Weidler Street when it hit the Streetcar just before 3:30 p.m.
“All of a sudden I heard a horn,” witness Felton Sawyer told KOIN 6 News. “It kept going and now the scraping noise starts and just kept going.”
There were 6 people on the Streetcar, but none needed medical attention.
TriMet said the A Loop service was disrupted until the end of service Wednesday but shuttle buses served all stops. Traffic was also down to one lane for several hours while crews worked to get the Streetcar back on its tracks.
The crash was cleared by 11 p.m. and another Streetcar towed the derailed one away.
Crews used forklifts instead of a crane to re-rail the cars. In a previous derailment, a crane was used because the ground was not as flat.
Remember that derailment back in May? It took a crews nearly 12 hours to get it back on the tracks. Here’s hoping this one moves a little quicker but it’s an involved process #KOIN6News https://t.co/JGnvwmOk1s— Cole Miller (@ColeKOIN) September 5, 2018
.@PBOTinfo says the driver of that Ford either switched lanes or tried making a turn on to NE 2nd from Weidler, knocking the @PDXStreetcar off the tracks. “About a half dozen” riders on board, no one needed medical treatment #KOIN6News pic.twitter.com/wD9ikA3mzL— Cole Miller (@ColeKOIN) September 6, 2018
Aerial photos of the truck ➡ @PDXStreetcar collision courtesy of Crown Plaza Hotel. NE 2nd & Weidler lanes CLOSED thru evening commute hours. A Loop service disrupted. B Loop and NS Streetcar routes operating on schedule. #pdxtraffic pic.twitter.com/kzrlpRdY3v— Portland Bureau of Transportation (@PBOTinfo) September 6, 2018
