The Portland Streetcar services temporarily closed Sunday evening due to a record heat wave across the Northwest bringing temperatures over 100 degrees, though transit cars are operating again, according to TriMet.
The mass transportation company suspended all MAX Light Rail and city streetcar services until Tuesday to let the system cool off, saying that hot weather was straining the power grid and overhead wires that power the train cars.
“The MAX system is designed to operate in conditions up to 110 degrees. Forecasts show it will likely only get hotter tomorrow without sufficient time to cool down,” TriMet said in a readout.
As of Tuesday morning, the service was back up and safely running.
“Many thanks to our operators, mechanics, operations team and maintenance crews who worked in extreme conditions the last few days to get us back up and running,” Portland Streetcar tweeted.
DAILY ON ENERGY: PACIFIC NORTHWEST HEAT WAVE RAISES PRESSURE FOR BIDEN
In case you’re wondering why we’re canceling service for the day, here’s what the heat is doing to our power cables. pic.twitter.com/EqbKUgCJ3K
— Portland Streetcar (@PDXStreetcar) June 27, 2021
Over the weekend and into Monday, Portland experienced all-time high temperatures of 116 degrees, with nearby metropolitan areas including Seattle seeing significant temperatures up to 108 degrees.
An image uploaded by the Portland Streetcar’s Twitter on Sunday appeared to show damaged power cables that the service attributed to “what the heat is doing.”
The National Weather Service in Portland tweeted the forecast Monday evening, signaling that signs of relief were on the way, saying, “Much cooler temperatures are developing as strong onshore flow pushes across the region.”
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Temperatures in Portland are expected to remain in the low 90s for daytime highs over the next 10 days, with nighttime lows in the upper 50s and low 60s.
