Metropolitan Area Express (Portland)

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Metropolitan Area Express (MAX)
Locale Portland, OR
Transit type Light rail
Began operation September 5, 1986
System length 44.3 mi (71.3 km)
No. of lines 3
No. of stations 63
Daily ridership 97,000 (weekday)
Track gauge 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Reporting marks TMTC
Operator TriMet

Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. It is operated by TriMet and currently has three lines: Blue, Red and Yellow, with Green under construction and Orange planned. MAX is the fourth most ridden light rail system in the United States and the most ridden stand-alone light rail system in the country (the busier LRTs in Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are part of larger subway systems).

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.

Some track segments are controlled by traffic signals at intersections, including the original segment along East Burnside Street and the newest segment along Interstate Ave. Other segments have gated crossings to give trains the right-of-way. One three mile (4.8 km) section operates as a subway below Washington Park. While this section has only one station, it is 260 feet (79 m) below ground-level, making it the deepest train station in North America and the second deepest train station in the world at the time it opened.

The Red Line on the I-84 highway
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The Red Line on the I-84 highway

Because of Portland's 200-foot (61 m) downtown blocks, trains operate with only one or two cars. The MAX cars are about 90 feet (27.5 m) long, so a stopped train consisting of more than two cars would block intersections. Blue Line trains are typically two cars long. Trains on the Yellow and Red Line run in both one and two car configurations, though increasingly more Red Line trains are two-car.

Contents

[edit] Fares

MAX uses a proof-of-fare system; you must carry your receipt on you at all times. Purchase your fare before boarding, and retain the receipt as proof of paid fare. You must board the train before the receipt's expiration, and are allowed to ride past the time on the receipt provided you boarded before it expired. Receipts are good for 2 hours after purchase, and can be used an unlimited number of times, and for travel in any direction, as well as for buses, Portland Streetcar, and C-TRAN. MAX fares (as of 01SEP2006) are the following:

  • All Zone: $2.00 (Valid for any ride within time-stamp)
  • 2 Zone: $1.70
  • Honored Citizen: $0.85 (Disabled and Elderly passengers. Must show identification if asked.)
  • Youth: $1.35 (ages 7-17 and students in high school or pursuing a GED). Must show proof of age or student status if asked.
  • Children under 7: Free when accompanied by fare paying passenger
  • Day Pass: $4.25 (Valid all day, and for all zones)
Tri-Met MAX Ticket Machine, older style. Inset is close-up of fare selection, and a ticket validator.
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Tri-Met MAX Ticket Machine, older style. Inset is close-up of fare selection, and a ticket validator.

Many MAX stations also serve bus routes, and as the tickets for MAX are valid for the buses as well, there are some pros and cons to purchasing a ticket for a bus ride from a MAX ticket machine:

  • Pros
    • During weekdays, bus transfers are good for one hour past purchase time, MAX tickets are for two hours.
    • Machines can give change, whereas buses can not.
    • Some machines can take Credit/Debit cards, buses can not.
    • Bus transfers are issued by humans, so errors can be made, such as issuing a zones 1 & 2 transfer, when a zones 2 & 3 is requested, or an improper expiration, such as 30 minutes can be issued. This does not occur with the machines.
  • Cons
    • Bus transfers are issued by humans, so errors can be made in the rider's favor, such as a transfer good for 5 hours past purchase time, or an All Zone when a 2 Zone is purchased.
    • Machines can often be out of service, or not accept coins or bills.

Books of 10 tickets may be purchased from several locations, including the Tri Met Customer Service Center at Pioneer Courthouse Square, which is located on the MAX line itself. When using these, riders must validate them with a date and time stamp at a ticket validator before boarding.

[edit] Lines & Projects

TriMet runs three MAX lines, each designated by a color. The MAX system was built in a series of four separate projects, each line runs over several of these project segments.

The central station is at Pioneer Courthouse Square, which also is centrally located in the Fareless Square, a section in and around downtown Portland in which all MAX, TriMet bus, and Portland Streetcar transit rides are free.

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 many stations a live readerboard shows the destination and time-to-arrival of the next several trains.

In addition to regular MAX service, the Portland Vintage Trolley runs along the MAX line between the Galleria/Library stations and Lloyd Center.

[edit] Lines

Tri-Met MAX System Map
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Tri-Met MAX System Map
Line Termini Stations Projects
Blue Line Hatfield Government Center (Hillsboro/Westbound) - Cleveland Avenue (Gresham/Eastbound) 50 All of Banfield-Burnside (Eastside) and Westside
Red Line Beaverton Transit Center (City Center/Westbound) - Airport (Eastbound) 29 All of Airport and portions of Banfield-Burnside (Eastside) and Westside
Yellow Line Galleria/SW 10th Avenue (City Center/Westbound) - Expo Center (Eastbound) 21 All of Interstate and a portion of Banfield-Burnside (Eastside)

[edit] Projects

Project Name Opening Date Terminal Stations Length Lines
Banfield-Burnside (Eastside) September 5, 1986 Galleria/SW 10th Avenue - Cleveland Avenue 30 15 mi
(24 km)		 Portions of Blue, Red & Yellow
Westside September 12, 1998
(portion opened on August 29, 1997)		 Hatfield Government Center - Library/SW 9th Avenue 20 18 mi
(29 km)		 Portions of Blue & Red
Airport September 10, 2001 Gateway TC - Airport 4 5.5 mi
(8.9 km)		 Portion of Red
Interstate May 1, 2004 Old Town/Chnatown - Expo Center 10 5.8 mi
(9.3 km)		 Portion of Yellow
Totals 64 44.3 mi
(71.3 km)

[edit] Future Lines & Projects

Current event marker This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.		 Railway station
Line Termini Stations Projects
Green Line PSU South/SW College Street (Westbound) - Clackamas Town Center (Eastbound) 30 All of I-205 and Portland Mall and a portion of Banfield-Burnside (Eastside)
Shuttle Loop Union Station/NW Glisan Street - PSU South/SW College Street 14 A portion of Portland Mall
Orange Line Union Station/NW Glisan Street - Lake Road (Milwaukie) 25 All of Milwaukie and a portion of Portland Mall
Project Name Proposed Opening Date Termini Stations Length Lines
I-205 September 2009 Gateway TC - Clackamas Town Center 8 6.5 mi
(10.5 km)		 Portion of Green
Portland Mall September 2009 Rose Quarter TC - PSU South/SW College Street 14 1.8 mi
(2.9 km)		 All of Shuttle Loop, portions of Yellow, Green and Orange
Milwaukie To be determined PSU South/SW Jackson Street - Lake Road 11 6.3 mi
(10.1 km)		 Portion of Orange
Total Future Projects 33 14.6 mi
(23.5 km)
Total Current & Future Projects 97 58.9 mi
(94.8 km)

The Orange Line may be an extension of the Yellow Line, however recent media reports and maps have indicated that this will be a separate line.

[edit] Types of train cars

A MAX Yellow line train with Type 3 cars.
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A MAX Yellow line train with Type 3 cars.

There are currently three 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 partial opening of Westside MAX in 1997, new Type 2 cars made by Siemens were introduced. These cars have a low-floor design, a first in North America, digital readerboards, and open floor plan. The floor is nearly level with the platforms, and time-consuming wheelchair lifts were replaced with small ramps called 'bridge plates'. Some of the later models have had automatic passenger counters retrofitted; in these models, they are on the floor of the doorways.

Type 3 cars generally are identical to the Type 2 cars in design, but have TriMet's new paint scheme and some feature improvements. They were introduced when the Yellow Line opened in 2004, and include automatic passenger counters which are located above the doorways using photoelectric sensors.

The MAX Green Line is planned to be served by 21 new Type 4 cars. They will feature a more streamlined design than previous models, offer larger windows and more seating.

Portland MAX Light Rail Cars
Designation Car numbers Manufacturer First used Capacity # in fleet
Type 1 1xx Bombardier 1986 256 26
Type 2 2xx Siemens 1997 261 52
Type 3 3xx Siemens 2004 261 27
Type 4 4xx Siemens 2009  ??? 21

[edit] Proposed lines & extensions

[edit] On the drawing board

  • Late 2009 - MAX Green Line to Clackamas Town Center via the existing partially built I-205 Transitway
  • Late 2009 - MAX Green Line (and re-routed Yellow line) along downtown Transit Mall (north-south through downtown)
  • 2014 - MAX Orange Line to Milwaukie via UP (former SP) rail line corridor

[edit] Rumored or briefly mentioned

  • MAX Blue Line to Mount Hood Community College in Gresham
  • MAX Blue Line to Forest Grove
  • MAX line via Barbur Blvd.
  • MAX line via Powell/Foster Blvd
  • MAX line to Damascus & Boring
  • MAX extension from Milwaukie and/or Clackamas Town Center to Oregon City

[edit] MAX in films

  • What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004, dir. William Arntz and Betty Chasse): Goose Hollow/Southwest Jefferson Street bird's-eye view and on the westbound platform; brief clips of Bill Robertson Tunnel; Washington Park on the eastbound platform; a brief clip taken from an eastbound MAX train on Southwest 1st Avenue between Yamhill District and Old Town/Chinatown; a couple of scenes filmed aboard a westbound train on the Steel Bridge between Rose Quarter Transit Center and Old Town/Chinatown. Actual Type-2 cars were used in filming of this movie.
  • The Hunted (2003, dir. William Friedkin): an imitated Type-1 train (although the train is numbered "300") on the Hawthorne Bridge (where there is no actual MAX track) complete with a KOIN-TV advertisement prominently featuring the KOIN news anchor Jeff Gianola, who also plays the role of a TV news reporter in this film. The simulated MAX car prop was built from a discarded TriMet articulated bus. The bus was used extensively to transport commuters between Portland and Westside suburbs, on the 12-Sandy Blvd, the now defunct 57 Forest Grove route, and select express routes until the 1998 extension of MAX Blue Line replaced the articulated bus service.
  • Zero Effect (1998, dir. Jake Kasdan): the wealthy blackmailed timber tycoon is directed by his blackmailer to board the train with a three-digit number delivered to his pager while on his way to deliver his next payment. A MAX train, with the painted number 119 and "Portland" displayed on its sign, pulls up to him. He is then shown on the train for about 15 seconds. As the movie is set in Portland, MAX train bells can be heard in the background throughout.
  • Kurt and Courtney. A MAX train is shown going the other way on Interstate 84 breifly.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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