The Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX, is a light rail system that serves the metropolitan area of Portland in Oregon, USA. Operated by TriMet, the public transit operator for the area, the MAX currently consists of 44 miles of track and 64 stops. Three lines are currently in operation, namely the Red, Yellow and Blue, with seventy more stations and the Green and Orange lines being planned to open after 2009.

History

Construction of the original MAX line, now known as the Blue Line, began in March 1982 and was completed in September, 1986. Known at the time as the Banfield Light Rail Project, it was one of the first light rail systems constructed in the USA. The line first opened as a 15-mile section which connected Gresham and the rest of the east side with a terminus at Galleria/SW 10th Avenue in the Portland city centre. The Blue Line was then extended through the city centre to reach the west side of the city, passing through Beaverton and Hillsboro before terminating in the western suburbs. This section opened between August, 1997 and September, 1998, and completed the Blue Line, which now consists of what are called the Eastside and Westside MAX.

The Red Line opened in September, 2001, connecting Beaverton and the city centre with Portland International Airport. The Yellow Line began operations in May, 2004, connecting the north and northeast areas of Portland with downtown. This line also provides passengers with easy access to the Portland Expo Centre. This completed the current MAX network, which is split into three zones radiating outwards from the city centre.

Structure

The Blue Line extension included the construction of a three-mile tunnel through volcanic rock under the West Hills. The Washington Park station, which is the only station located within the tunnel, is 260 feet (80 metres) below ground and is the deepest transit station in North America and the second deepest in the world. The rest of the system runs along Portland's roads and pavements, although the majority of the western extension of the Blue Line runs along the route of the old Oregon Electric Railway, which was built to connect Portland with nearby Eugene in 1907, but was closed in 1994 to make way for the MAX extension. All three existing lines cross the Willamette River, which runs just east of the city centre, via the Steel Bridge. Although the trains share roads with traffic in the city centre, they mostly have their own lanes outside of the Fareless Zone.

When passing through the city centre, the Blue Line splits into eastbound and westbound lines, running parallel but one block apart. The Red Line follows the Blue Line's route through the centre, while the Yellow Line loops round to head back towards the east before reaching PGE Park. While the Blue Line was built entirely from scratch, the Red and Yellow lines were essentially add-ons, each forming a spur off towards the north as the Blue line heads towards the east. The Yellow line splits off after the Rose Quarter to head towards the Expo Centre, while the Red line leaves after Gateway station to head towards the airport.

Proposed Extensions

Two more lines are currently being proposed, including many more stations and whole new areas being served. There are plans for a Green Line which will run in a north-south loop through the city centre and then pass over the bridge to run eastwards with the Blue Line to Gateway station. Here, it would turn southwards and run alongside Route 205 to reach Clackamas town centre. It is possible that the yellow line would be re-routed to follow the Green line in the city centre. Meanwhile, the Orange line is planned to run along the same north-south loop as the Green line, but would then run southwards, crossing the Caruthers Bridge and running just east of the Willamette River to reach Milwaukie. Due to the way in which the Yellow and Orange lines would overlap, it is speculated that they could become a single new line instead.

Interchanges

Nearly fifty bus services run near the MAX system in the Portland city centre, with buses heading in all directions towards the suburbs. Passengers can change from the MAX lines at Gallery/SW 10th and Library/SW 9th to the Portland Streetcar, which runs north-west to south-east across the city centre. There are also plans for a Commuter Rail line from Beaverton, which would start next to the MAX line and run southwards.

Trains and Operation

Trains usually consist of two cars each, making them around 90 feet (27 metres) long, although some Yellow and Red line trains are made up of just one car. The original cars were produced for the MAX system by Bombardier, who were also responsible for the Croydon Tramlink in the UK. These cars looked very much like buses on rails, although the more recent Siemens carriages look a bit more like trains. The newer cars are disabled-friendly and are painted in official TriMet colours, namely white with yellow and blue ellipses. The trains each have a driver, with some of the areas being controlled by signals. In busy areas the trains must follow traffic light signals, while in other places they have right of way, such as at level crossings.

Using the MAX

With 64 stations in the Portland metro area, it shouldn't be hard to find a station near your location. Once at the station, purchase your ticket from the machine. Tickets are valid for two hours, but you can also buy an all-day ticket for a little more than the cost of a couple of standard tickets. However, if you are travelling exclusively in the Fareless Square area, which includes most of downtown Portland, then your journey is completely free. This also applies to local buses and the Portland Streetcar. The Fareless Square centres around Pioneer Courthouse Square, which is effectively the centre of the entire MAX network. Trains run every 15 minutes or better every day between about 4.30am and midnight.

Each station has signs indicating what track your train will arrive on, and some of the larger stations also have electronic display boards telling you when the next train is due. Every train has a destination indicator on the front which identifies the line and direction of the train. Travelling from one end of the blue line to the other would take 97 minutes, while the Red and Yellow line spurs are 14 and 20 minutes long respectively. For information on tourist areas around the MAX lines, see this page.