Updated at 3:55 p.m.

A Portland Streetcar went off the tracks in Southeast Portland on Thursday, hitting three cars and landing at least one person in the hospital.

An investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the streetcar to derail a little before 2 p.m. near Southeast Grand Avenue and Taylor Street, said John Brady, a Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesman.

Grand Avenue between Madison Avenue and Belmont Street will be closed through the evening commute, and the streetcar's A and B lines have also been shut down, Brady said. A bus will temporarily be used as a replacement on the A line, he said.

A second person was going to the hospital on their own accord, city transportation officials said. They've said this was the fourth derailment in Portland Streetcar history.

The person injured was inside a car when it was hit by the streetcar. That person is expected to survive. There were 11 people on the streetcar, including the operator, and none was seriously injured, Brady said. He didn't know if anyone was in the other two vehicles hit.

The transportation bureau advises people to avoid to area, if possible. The northbound thoroughfare where the derailment occurred is a key corridor for commuters and daily movement throughout the city.

Everton Bailey Jr. and Michael Russell of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this story.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen