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Streetcar commuters were greeted to the platforms this morning with a message that read “POWER OUTAGE SYSTEM WIDE. NO SERVICE UNTIL POWER IS RESTORED.”

Apparently, the streetcar is running again as of 9 a.m., according to Portland Streetcar spokeswoman Julie Gustafson, though some of the platforms are still displaying that message.

The power outage happened because of a faulty connection in the overhead wiring to the , which would extend the streetcar over the Broadway Bridge, down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Grand Avenue, and back across the river to the South Waterfront ().

“Apparently there was something that was just slightly off,” Gustafon said. After several trains had gone through the area where the connection was made near the Broadway Bridge, the entire system shut down.

Construction crews still have work to do to the overhead wiring – or electrical hardware as the Portland Streetcar calls it. Expect to see crews working on Oct. 10 and 17.

Construction on the streetcar loop project is expected to be substantially completed by the end of this year. The Broadway Bridge will be closed for the weekend Oct. 22 and 23. Lanes on the bridge will also be closed periodically from Oct. 24. to Dec. 31. .

The streetcar should start running across the Broadway Bridge in September of 2012, though the loop won’t connect to the South Waterfront until the new bridge for the is completed.  is the construction manager/general contractor for the project.