NS Line

NS Line
A streetcar on Northwest Northrup Street in 2019
Overview
Other nameCentral City Streetcar
StatusOperational
OwnerCity of Portland
LocalePortland, Oregon, U.S.
Termini
  • Northwest 23rd & Marshall (north)
  • Southwest Lowell & Bond (south)
Stations39
Service
TypeStreetcar
SystemPortland Streetcar
Operators
  • Portland Streetcar, Inc.
  • TriMet (operators and maintenance)
Daily ridership4,519 (as of May 2025)
History
OpenedJuly 20, 2001
Technical
Line length4.1 mi (6.6 km)
CharacterAt-grade, mixed between street running and exclusive lane
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 750 V DC
Route diagram

NW 23rd & Marshall
NW 22nd & Northrup/Lovejoy
NW 21st & Northrup/Lovejoy
NW 18th & Northrup/Lovejoy
NW 14th & Northrup
NW 13th & Lovejoy
NW 12th & Northrup
A & B
NW 10th & Northrup
A & B
NW 11th/10th & Johnson
NW 11th/10th & Glisan
NW 11th/10th & Couch
SW 11th/10th & Alder
SW 11th & Taylor
Central Library
SW 11th & Jefferson
Art Museum
SW 11th/10th & Clay
SW Park & Market
SW Park & Mill
PSU
Urban Center
|
SW 5th
& Market
SW 5th & Montgomery
SW 3rd & Harrison
SW Harrison Street
SW River Pkwy & Moody
SW Moody & Meade
A & B
Tilikum Crossing
over Willamette River
US 26.svg US 26
Powell
Boulevard
|
Ross Island
Bridge
SW Moody & Gibbs
OHSU Plaza
SW Moody & Gaines
SW Bond & Lane
SW Lowell & Bond

The North South Line (NS Line) is a streetcar route of the Portland Streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, United States. Operated by Portland Streetcar, Inc. and TriMet, the line runs 4.1 miles (6.6 km) in each direction between Northwest 23rd & Marshall and South Lowell & Bond, serving 39 stations and connecting Northwest District, Pearl District, downtown, Portland State University (PSU), and South Waterfront. Its cars operate daily on headways of 15 to 20 minutes. In May 2025, the NS Line had an average weekday ridership of 4,519.

Efforts to restore streetcar service in Portland, which had ceased operating in 1950, began in 1990 with the formation of a citizen advisory committee. After nearly a decade of planning, construction of the Central City Streetcar project began in 1999. The initial 2.4-mile (3.9 km) segment opened on July 20, 2001, to become the first line of the Portland Streetcar system and the first second-generation streetcar service in the United States.

The NS Line has since been extended to RiverPlace and the South Waterfront. Originally unnamed, it was designated the "North South Line" in September 2012 following the opening of the system’s second route, the Central Loop Line, later rebranded as the A and B Loop.