Portland Aerial Tram

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This post is a response to Dan Antion‘s Thursday Doors.

Driving through downtown Portland, I saw gondolas gliding from a hilltop toward the waterfront. I usually see gondola ski lifts at ski resorts, but we are in a city. My curiosity has stayed with me for over a year. The mystery was revealed on Wednesday, January 29, when I had my doctor’s appointment at OHSU. On my way to the elevator, after seeing the doctor, I spotted a clear view of Mount Hood. Ever since moving to Portland, I constantly searched for a suitable location to photograph Mount Hood with snow. Hubby and I took a trip to Mount Hood in August 2024, but there was no snow on the mountain.

Mount Hood, Oregon

With excitement, I stepped out to the balcony to capture the view. My focus was on the mountain, not too much on the immediate surroundings. After shooting for a few photos, I noticed a gondola moving upward toward me. Suddenly I realized the tram tower was next to me. What a delightful discovery! I lingered for a while to check it out. My next day trip would be riding the gondola with my grandkids. As soon as I got home, I wasted no time searching online about the gondola in Portland and found unusual information.

The “bubble” aerial Tram car above downtown Portland. It has a capacity for 28 passengers and a driver.

Portland Aerial Tram (Wikipedia)

The Portland Aerial Tram or OHSU Tram is an aerial tramway in Portland, Oregon, that connects the city’s South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus. It is one of only two commuter aerial tramways in the United States, the other being New York City’s Roosevelt Island Tramway. The tram travels a horizontal distance of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and a vertical distance of 500 feet (152 m) in a ride that lasts three minutes.

The Tram was jointly funded by OHSU, the City of Portland, and South Waterfront property owners, with most of the funding coming from OHSU. It is owned by the city and operated by OHSU. While most passengers are affiliated with OHSU, it is open to the public and operated as part of Portland’s public transportation network.  

After opening in December 2006, the tram carried its one millionth passenger on October 17, 2007, and its ten millionth rider on January 8, 2014. A round-trip ticket costs $8 but is free for OHSU patients and certain visitors; OHSU employees and students ride for free by showing their ID badges.

The Cars

  • The Portland Aerial Tram has two cars that operate on parallel track ropes. 
  • The tram cars each weigh approximately 12 short tons (10.7 long tons; 10.9 metric tons), with cabin dimensions of 25 by 11 feet (7.62 by 3.35 m).
  • Each car has a capacity of over 13 short tons (11.6 long tons; 11.8 t) and there is sufficient room in the cabin for 78 passengers and one operator.
  • The tram cars were built by Gangloff AG,of Bern in Switzerland, and were shaped and painted to look like the architectural firm’s vision of “bubbles floating through the sky”.
  • The surface of the cabins reflects and refracts light, minimizing their visual impact on the neighborhood underneath.
Aerial tram approaching the tower with South Waterfront at the lower left and Mounthood in the distance.

Hubby and I take the grandkids to OMSI regularly. South Waterfront is close by. I expect to ride the aerial tram very soon.

Thursday Doors: Portland Aerial Tram

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86 comments

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