metropolitan area express (portland, oregon)

Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. It is operated by TriMet. In the central city, as well as in central Hillsboro, MAX trains run in reserved lanes on surface streets, unlike the Portland Streetcar, which runs in mixed traffic. Outside the central city MAX runs primarily its own right-of-way fully separated from traffic. Older track segments are controlled by traffic signals at intersections. Newer segments are fully grade-separated or have controlled crossings to give trains the right-of-way. One three mile (4.8 km) section operates as a subway below Washington Park. This section has only one station, which is 260 feet (79 m) below ground-level – the deepest transit station in North America. The trains operate in one- or two-car consists. MAX trains are limited to two cars due to the 200-foot (61 m) length of Portland's downtown blocks. The MAX cars are about 90 feet (27.5 m) long, so a stopped train consisting of more than two cars would block intersections. Red Line trains are typically one car long, except during peak airport travel times, while Blue Line trains are typically two cars long. Trains on the recently-opened Yellow Line often run in both configurations.

Lines

There are currently four MAX lines, with a fifth line proposed. In the following table, the Blue Line is broken into two rows due to its construction history.

b>Portland MAX Light Rail Lines

Name Nickname Outlying terminus Opened Length Stops

tyle="color:White;background-color:Navy;text-align:center;"| Blue
Line align="left"| Banfield-Burnside
(Eastside) align="left"| Cleveland Ave.
(Gresham) align="center"| September 5, 1986 align="center"| 15 mi
(24 km) align="center"| 29

tyle="color:White;background-color:Navy;text-align:center;"| Blue
Line align="left"| Westside align="left"| Hatfield Government Center
(Hillsboro) align="center"| September 12, 1998 align="center"| 18 mi
(29 km) align="center"| 20

tyle="color:White;background-color:Red;text-align:center;"| Red
Line align="left"| Airport align="left"| Airport align="center"| September 10, 2001 align="center"| 5.5 mi
(8.9 km) ¤ align="center"| 4

tyle="color:Blue;background-color:Yellow;text-align:center;"| Yellow
Line align="left"| Interstate align="left"| Expo Center align="center"| May 1, 2004 align="center"| 5.8 mi
(9.3 km) ¤ align="center"| 10

lign="right" colspan="4"| Current totals align="center"| 44.3 mi
(71.3 km) align="center"| 63

tyle="color:White;background-color:#00A166;text-align:center;"| Green
Line align="left"| Clackamas align="left"| Clackamas Town Center align="center"| September 2009
(proposed) align="center"| 6.5 mi
(10.5 km) ¤ align="center"| 8

tyle="color:White;background-color:#00A166;text-align:center;"| Green
Line align="left"| Portland Mall align="left"| Portland State University align="center"| September 2009
(proposed) align="center"| 1.8 mi
(2.9 km) ¤ align="center"| 6

lign="right" colspan="4"| Projected totals align="center"| 52.6 mi
(84.2 km) align="center"| 77

¤ Length shown does not include a shared segment with Eastside MAX, though the Red Line does share a segment with the Westside MAX as far west as Beaverton

The central station is Pioneer Courthouse Square. Blue Line trains run every 10 minutes (15 minutes late nights and Sundays). Red Line and Yellow Line trains run every 15 minutes. Actual schedules vary by location and time of day. At most stations a live readerboard shows the destination and time-to-arrival of the next several trains.

Types of train cars

There are currently two models of MAX cars. The original Type 1 cars were manufactured by Bombardier Corporation and featured a raised floor with steps at the doors. The interior design was similar to that of a bus. With the opening of Westside MAX in 1998, new Type 2 cars made by Siemens were introduced. These cars have a low-floor design, digital readerboards, and open floor plan. The floor is level with streetside platforms, greatly simplyfing access and eliminating the need for wheelchair lifts.

b>Portland MAX Light Rail Cars

Designation Manufacturer First used Capacity # in fleet

Type 1 Bombardier 1986 256 26

Type 2 Siemens 1998 261 52

Type 3 Siemens 2004 261 27

External links

TriMet
System map and schedules
Station to Station, a series of articles about the MAX from 2004, originally published in the Portland Tribune

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