End of an Era: Public Transit through the central core of Alameda is over, ending a 116-year tradition of transit service

Streetcars and buses like these have served the Alameda neighborhood since 1910. TriMet service cuts made in August 2026 ended a 116-year tradition of transit service to the neighborhood. This photo–showing the old Alberta Streetcar and its bus replacement–ran in the 1947 Portland Transit Company annual report to illustrate the end of streetcar service and the beginning of bus service on that route. The caption: “Walt Baker, trolley skipper since 1911, greets Merritt Lutman, pilot of a new Mack bus.” It’s official: the TriMet bus service cuts and route adjustments made starting today represent the first time in 116 years the majority of the Alameda neighborhood has been disconnected from public transit to downtown Portland. On August 23rd, TriMet officially eliminated two bus lines completely citing low ridership, and reduced service on 34 other lines, including Bus 17, which since 1948 has traveled much of the route originally covered by the old Broadway Streetcar, through the…