MAX Light Rail

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Metropolitan Area Express (MAX)
Info
Locale	Portland, Oregon, United States
Transit type	Light rail
Number of lines	4
Number of stations	84
Daily ridership	107,600[1] (avg. weekday boardings)
Operation
Began operation	September 5, 1986
Operator(s)	TriMet
Number of vehicles	127
Technical
System length	52.6 miles (84.7 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC, overhead wires
Average speed	19.6 mph (31.5 km/h)[1]
Route diagram

Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is operated by TriMet and currently has four lines: Blue, Green, Red and Yellow, with Orange planned.

The number of boardings averages between about 105,000 and 112,000 per day, depending on the time of year, but was 107,600 per day (weekdays) for the twelve months ending June 2009^[1] and has been as high as 118,200 per day in a given month.^[2] Since its inception about $3 billion has been invested in light rail in Portland (as of 2004).^[3]

[edit] Early system history

In the mid-1970s, TriMet (or Tri-Met, as it was known until 2002) began a study for light rail using funds intended for the cancelled Mount Hood Freeway. The light rail project was known as the Banfield Light Rail Project, named for the freeway (I-84) that part of the alignment followed. The TriMet board approved the project in September 1978.^[4] Gresham officials and businesses initially rejected the plans until a slight routing change was agreed to.^{[citation needed]}

Construction of the 15-mile (24 km) route started in 1982,^[5] and the system opened on September 5, 1986.^[6] Of the project's total cost of $214 million, 83 percent was funded by the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now known as the Federal Transit Administration).^[7] Less than two months before the opening, TriMet adopted the name Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX, for the new system.^[8]

As planning of a second light rail line, to the west side, gained momentum in the late 1980s, the MAX line came to be referred to as the Eastside MAX line, so as to distinguish it from the Westside MAX project. The 18-mile (29 km) Westside line, to Beaverton and Hillsboro, began construction in 1993 and opened in 1998. Except for a few rush-hour trips, all trips on the now-two light rail lines were connected in downtown. The resulting 33-mile east-west line has always been operated as a single, through route, and it became known as the Blue Line in 2001, after TriMet adopted color designations for its separate light rail routes.^[9]

[edit] General description

In parts of the MAX system, particularly in central Portland and Hillsboro, MAX trains run on surface streets. Except for on the Portland Transit Mall, trains run in reserved lanes closed to other motorized vehicles. On the Transit Mall, trains operate on the same lanes as buses (although MAX trains have traffic priority). Elsewhere, MAX runs within its own right-of-way, generally either in street medians, along freeways, on former freight railroad lines, or other right-of-ways.

Where the tracks run along a street, intersections are generally controlled by traffic signals which give trains preemption. Where the tracks occupy a completely separate right-of-way, level crossings are protected by automatic crossing gates giving trains the right-of-way. A three-mile (4.8 km) section consists of two tunnels 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.^[10]

Because of Portland's relatively small 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. All operating trains typically operate with two-car trains, except for certain lines during off-peak hours and other instances where only one-car trains can operate.

[edit] Lines and stations

TriMet runs four MAX lines, each designated by a color. The MAX system was built in a series of five separate projects, and each line runs over one or more of the previously opened segments. The use of colors to distinguish the separately operated routes was first adopted in 2000^[9] and brought into use in 2001. The 2004-opened Yellow Line originally followed the same routing in downtown Portland as the Red and Blue lines, along First Avenue, Morrison Street and Yamhill Street, but it was shifted to a new alignment along the Portland Transit Mall on August 30, 2009, introducing light rail service along the Mall.^[11] The Green Line began serving the Mall on September 12, 2009.

The system currently has a total of 84 stations. 50 stations are served by the Blue Line, 28 stations by the Green Line, 29 by the Red Line, and 22 by the Yellow Line, with 38 stations served by two or more lines and 8 by three. The system's central stations are at Pioneer Courthouse Square, on the Portland Transit Mall. These stops, on three sides of the square, are near the center of Fareless Square, a section in and around downtown Portland in which all MAX, TriMet bus, and Portland Streetcar rides are zero-fare (free). All trains also connect at the Rose Quarter.

Trains run every 15 minutes from early in the morning until late at night, even on weekends. The Blue Line runs every 10 minutes during rush hour. Headways between trains are shorter in the central section of the system, where lines overlap. 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, using data gathered by a vehicle tracking system.

In addition to regular MAX service, the Portland Vintage Trolley runs along the Portland Mall MAX tracks on Sundays, serving the same stops. From 1991 until 2009, the vintage trolley service followed a section of the original MAX line, between the Galleria/Library stations and Lloyd Center, but in September 2009 the service moved to the newly opened MAX alignment along the transit mall, running from Union Station to Portland State University.^[12]

[edit] Rolling stock

The interior of a Type 2 MAX car, towards middle section

There are currently four models of MAX cars, designated by TriMet as "Type 1", "Type 2" and so on.

The Type 1 cars were manufactured by Bombardier Corporation and featured a raised floor with steps at the doors. The first car was completed at the factory in late 1983^[13] and arrived in Portland in 1984.^[14]

An extended doorway bridgeplate, or wheelchair ramp, in a low-floor MAX car

With the partial opening of Westside MAX in 1997, new cars made by Siemens and called Type 2 by TriMet were introduced. These cars have a low-floor design, a first for light rail cars in North America,^[15][16] digital readerboards and a slightly more open floor plan. The floor is nearly level with the platforms, and small ramps called "bridge plates" extend (on request) from two of the four doors, enabling passengers in wheelchairs to roll on and off of the car easily. These permitted the elimination of wheelchair lifts that had been located at every station and were time-consuming to use.^[17] Type 1 cars are now always paired with a Type 2 or 3 car so that each train is wheelchair accessible.

Older (Bombardier) and newer (Siemens SD660) light rail cars at the Beaverton Transit Center, on the Blue Line and Red Line, respectively

The first low-floor light rail car was delivered in 1996^[18] and the type was first used in service on August 31, 1997.^[17] The new cars also came equipped with air-conditioning, a feature originally lacking from the Type 1 cars,^[15] but TriMet later retrofitted air-conditioning to all of the older MAX cars, in 1997-98. The initial order of 39 Type 2 cars was expanded, in stages, eventually to a total of 52 cars.^[19]

Some of the later models of light rail cars had automatic passenger counters retrofitted; in these models, they are on the floor of the doorways.

The Type 3 cars are essentially identical to the Type 2 cars in design, but have TriMet's new paint scheme. They began to enter service in fall 2003, but were not in use in large numbers until the opening of the Interstate Avenue MAX line in 2004, which was the reason for their acquisition. They include automatic passenger counters which are located above the doorways, using photoelectric sensors.

In 2001-02, TriMet modified the interior of the Type 2 cars to add space for bicycles. Eight seats per car were removed and replaced—in four places per car—with hooks from which a bicycle can be hung.^[20] The Type 3 cars carried this newer layout as built.

"Type 4" MAX cars (Siemens S70) in service on the Blue Line

Twenty-two new Siemens S70 vehicles, designated Type 4 cars, have been purchased in conjunction with the I-205 and Portland Mall MAX projects. They feature a more streamlined design than previous models, have more seating and are lighter in weight and therefore more energy-efficient. At about 95 feet long, they are about three feet longer than Type 2 and Type 3 cars, which were 92 feet.^[21] The Type 4 MAX cars began to enter service in August 2009.^[22] All four different types of cars are used on all four MAX lines.

The Type 1, 2 and 3 cars have destination signs of the roll-type, whereas the signs in the Type 4 cars are LED-type. In the rollsigns, the designated route color (blue, green, red or yellow) is shown as a colored background under white (or black) text in the display, while in the LED signs the route color is indicated by a colored square at the left end of the display, and all text is orange lettering against a black background.

Notes on capacities:

• The capacities given are for a single car; a two-car train has double the capacity.
• The Type 2 cars originally had 72 seats, but eight seats were later removed, to make space for bicycles.^[20]
• All of these capacity figures are based on "normal" loading conditions (defined as 4 standing passengers per square meter by industry standards^[23]); under so-called "crush" loading conditions (6-8 standees per m²), all of these cars are capable of carrying many more passengers than stated here.

[edit] Fares

TriMet MAX ticket vending machine, older style. Inset is close-up of fare selection, and a ticket validator.

MAX uses a proof-of-payment system; riders must carry a receipt at all times. Fares are purchased before boarding, and receipt is retained as proof of paid fare. Passengers must board the train before the receipt's expiration, and are allowed to ride past the time on the receipt, provided the train was boarded before the expiration time. Receipts are good for 2 hours after purchase, and can be used an unlimited number of times, for travel in any direction, as well as for buses, Portland Streetcar, and C-TRAN. MAX fares (as of September 1, 2008) are:

• All-Zone (three-zone): $2.30 (Valid for any ride within time-stamp)

2-hour youth ticket printed from ticket machine. Front (right) and back (left)

• Two-Zone: $2
• Honored Citizen: $0.95 (disabled and elderly passengers)
• Youth: $1.50 (ages 7–17 and students in high school or pursuing a GED; valid for all zones). Must show proof of age or student status if asked.
• LIFT Paratransit All-Zone: $1.80
• Children under 7: Free when accompanied by fare paying passenger
• Day Pass: $4.75 (Valid all day, and for all zones)

Transfer receipts from buses and tickets purchased on the Portland Streetcar are also valid fare on MAX, provided they cover the zones through which the MAX trip is being made and have not expired before boarding. As noted above, MAX tickets are also valid on bus routes, under the same conditions.

Riding is free in Fareless Square which includes all of downtown and part of the Lloyd Center area.

[edit] Proposed lines and extensions

A Red Line train on the Banfield Mainline next to Interstate 84

[edit] On the drawing board

Milwaukie/South Corridor (PSU South/SW Jackson Street - SE Park Avenue)

Projected opening: 2015; length: 7.3 mi (11.7 km); stations: 10 ^[24]

Route: From downtown Portland to Milwaukie either as the MAX Orange Line (starting at Union Station and running via the Transit Mall) or as an extension of the MAX Yellow Line, and following a combination of SE 17th Avenue, McLoughlin Blvd., and Union Pacific Railroad (formerly Southern Pacific Transportation Company) rail line corridor.

Red Line Extension to Willow Creek/SW 185th Ave (via existing Westside MAX rails) ^[25]

Proposed opening: 2011

[edit] Other extensions

TriMet has indicated that additional extensions have been studied or discussed with Metro and cities in the region.^[26][27] These proposed extensions include:

• Line via Barbur Blvd.
• Line via Powell/Foster Blvd.
• Line to Damascus & Boring
• Extension from Milwaukie and/or Clackamas Town Center to Oregon City
• Extension to Vancouver, WA, possibly integrated with the Columbia Crossing project

[edit] See also

• Portland Streetcar
• List of rapid transit systems
• Transportation in Portland
• Westside Express Service
• Mount Hood Freeway

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Metropolitan Area Express

• TriMet's MAX pages
• Station to Station, a series of articles about the MAX from 2004, originally published in the Portland Tribune
• MAX Light Rail at nycsubway.org
• Puget Sound Transportation Projects - Portland MAX
• Railway Technology - Portland MAX Light Rail