Portland area leaders took what advocates consider a “huge” step Tuesday toward bringing back a historic 30-minute train ride from the Oregon Zoo through Washington Park.
The Metro Council voted unanimously to keep working with the city of Portland on planning and funding for the potential return of the rail. Metro also set aside $50,000 to conduct a geotechnical assessment of the railroad loop, if other groups can raise an additional $200,000.
“This is huge for us. This is the first time we’ve had the city and Metro together agreeing to go forward,” said Kathy Goeddel, president of the Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway.
The Washington Park Loop ran from 1960 to 2013, when the zoo shortened the route to construct a new elephant exhibit, according to the task force report. The railway was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020…