PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A long-defunct train through the Oregon Zoo could make a return.
The Oregon Metro Council showed support for the resurgence of the Washington Park Loop during a work session on Tuesday. The regional government agency — representing Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties — plans to allocate $50,000 toward a “comprehensive geotechnical assessment” of the loop, on the condition that other entities invest at least $200,000.
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According to a staff report, the zoo operated the loop from 1960 to 2013 before nixing it to accommodate a new Elephant Lands habitat. The push to restore it has been impacted by factors like “safety, financial limitations, deferred maintenance, geological instability, aging trains, and lack of alignment with the Zoo’s mission and vision,” although Portland City Council expressed support for its return when they approved a 20-year plan for Washington Park in 2018.
Efforts were advanced in 2024, when the Metro approved Councilor Christine Lewis’ proposal to form the Washington Park Train Task Force that met several times between March and July of last year. Metro’s Chief Operating Officer, Marissa Madrigal, has since endorsed the task force’s findings, making way for the agency’s potential $50,000 investment into the project…