At Portland Union Station (MP 0.0), there are two island platforms, with a track on the east side, two tracks between them, and a track on the west side, and a major depot on the west side of the station, west of all the tracks. Access to the island platforms is by means of a paved area that crosses the tracks on the level. There is a pedestrian bridge over the platforms and tracks to the south of the depot and a major road bridge (Philadelphia Avenue) over the platforms and tracks just north of the depot. Heading south, past the erstwhile VC Tower (MP 0.2) and a grade crossing, the 10 mph Two Main Tracks, CTC, line turns east to the Steel Bridge (MP 0.4, 6 mph across the bridge) across the Willamette River to East Portland Junction (MP 0.6), where there is a junction with the north end of the erstwhile SP, the freight Kenton Line to Albina Yard heading north, and the UP former OR&N Graham Line to Hinkle and the east curves south and then heads east-northeast.
The single track, CTC, Graham Line, used by passenger trains heading east from Portland Union Station, heads east-northeast, with speed limit rising from 10 mph at East Portland to 45 mph thereafter, passing beneath the Portland area MAX light rail line near the east end of the Lloyd center, and then running alongside that line on its north side east, northeast, east-southeast, east-northeast past Graham, east past Montavilla and then curving north, away from the light rail line, passing beneath that line's airport branch, and turning east again, past Clarnie, a detector at MP 7.8, tracks from an industrial area trailing in on the south side just west of Rockwood (MP 11.8), a curve east-northeast past Fairview, a turn east-southeast where an erstwhile Portland Railway, Light & Power line once headed south, and then east-northeast again to Troutdale (MP 15.6), where the Kenton Line trails in from the west on the north side of the line.
The single track, CTC, Kenton Line, used by freight trains heading through and then east from Albina Yard, heads north-northwest with speed limit still 10 mph, past a major grain elevator between the tracks and the river, the Philadelphia Avenue bridge overhead, a major grain elevator on the west side of the line and the east bank of the river, the south end of Albina Yard, including the locomotive facilities, where it turns northwest, the I-405 bridge overhead, and the main set of sidings at Albina Yard (MP 1.6).
North of the yard, the line heads north and then northwest again to St, John's Junction (MP 4.0), where the speed limit is 25 mph, a line continues northwest and the main line turns north, through 6,436 ft. Peninsula Tunnel 18 (MP 4.6) to Peninsula Junction (MP 5.6), a flat crossing of a line heading north to North Portland Junction (MP 6.8) on the BNSF line that will cross the Columbia River and a west-east line from the harbor (the far end of the line that continued ahead at St. John's Junction), with connectors in all four quadrants.
The Kenton line takes the southeast quadrant onto the line heading east, past Kenton (MP 8.9), where the speed limit is 35 mph, the crossovers at Champ (MP 10.3), where 2MT, CTC, begin and the speed limit is 50 mph, extra tracks at PGE Tracks (MP 10.9), Cully Boulevard (MP 11.9), where the line reduces to single track, CTC, again, the 4,974 ft. siding extending west from Fir (MP 12.9), where there is a spur on the north side, Hemlock (MP 17.0), and the 10,144 ft. siding at Reynolds (MP 19.8-MP 21.8), where an industrial spur heads northeast from the east end, to Troutdale (MP 22.0), where the speed limit is 45 mph and the Graham Line trails in on the south side.