PORTLAND, Ore. - The wraps finally came off the OHSU tram on Friday, giving the public a first glimpse of the gondolas that had been literally wrapped in secrecy since coming to Portland from Switzerland several weeks ago.

A silvery, jelly-bean-shaped carriage was unveiled by Portland city commissioner and transportation chief Sam Adams and OHSU president Dr. Joe Robertson at a small ceremony Friday morning.

The two tram cars are reportedly modeled on soap bubbles, and will carry 78 people at a time at full capacity.

The lower part of the windows on each tram car is frosted to prevent riders from looking down onto property under the tram's route, addressing a privacy concern of homeowners located under the tram lines.

Robertson said the trams will save 93,000 of gasoline a year by allowing hospital workers and patients to access the sprawling medical facility via Portland's mass transit system.

The waterfront tram station is accessible by both TriMet bus and the Portland Streetcar, and OHSU is accessible by TriMet bus lines.

The two tram cars cost about $1 million for the pair, and appear to offer a few seats while the majority of space will be for standing passengers.

A trip on the tram is expected to take about five minutes in each direction.

A successful emergency rescue drill and overall safety check will need to be performed on the tram cars before they can be certified for passenger operation.

The public should be able to begin riding the tram in early January.

The tram has been criticized as a financial boondoggle in some quarters. After an initial budget projection of just over $15.5 million, the final tally for construction of the tram is expected to be over $50 million.