The Portland Subdivision is a railway line in the state of Oregon in the United States. It is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and runs 185 miles (298 km) from Portland, Oregon, to Hinkle, Oregon. The line runs east-west along the south bank of the Columbia River through the Columbia River Gorge.

Portland Subdivision
A Union Pacific manifest freight on the line in 2010
Overview
OwnerUnion Pacific Railroad
Technical
Line length185 mi (298 km)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map

mi
185.3
Hinkle
Hinkle–Hermiston
147.9
139.8
94.9
Oregon Trunk Junction
84.9
The Dalles
Hood River
43.5
Cascade Locks
15.6
22.0
Troutdale
Graham Line
Kenton Line

Kenton Line

5.6
4.0
Barnes Yard
Albina Yard
Graham Line
0.5
East Portland
0.0
Portland Union Station
UP Portland Subdivision
BNSF Fallbridge Subdivision

Graham Line

Kenton Line
0.5
East Portland

Route

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The eastern end of the line is at Hinkle, Oregon, where it meets the La Grande Subdivision. The Oregon Trunk Subdivision of the BNSF Railway crosses over at Oregon Trunk Junction, 10 miles (16 km) east of The Dalles, Oregon. At Troutdale, on the eastern edge of Portland, the line splits: the Kenton Line continues northwest through northeast Portland, while the Graham Line heads due west into downtown Portland. The two lines meet at East Portland, just across the Willamette River from Portland Union Station. The line continues across the Willamette over the Steel Bridge to Union Station. There is no track connection between the Graham Line and the Steel Bridge.[1]

Operations

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As of 2022, the Portland Subdivision hosts no passenger traffic, save for the small section in Portland from Union Station across to the Steel Bridge to the Brooklyn Subdivision.[2] This hosts Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight, both of which operate between Portland and Eugene.[3] The Pioneer, discontinued in 1997, provided service over the whole route, including stops in Hood River, the Dalles, and Hinkle.

As of 2003 the line handles between 22 and 24 freight trains daily.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Amtrak 2009, pp. 18–19.
  2. ^ WSDOT 2017, p. 4-4.
  3. ^ WSDOT 2017, p. 4-41–4-42.
  4. ^ Union Pacific Tons per Train (PDF) (Map). Trains. 2003. Retrieved 11 September 2023.

References

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