5.Sep.2016, the day after this video is uploaded, marks the 30th anniversary of the Portland
MAX.
So, how did the MAX come to be what it is today?
In 1974, well before the first tracks were laid, actually 2 years before the opening
of the Metro in DC, politicians were deciding on a new 8-lane superhighway straight through
the city of Portland [boo!], when the plans were changed to an above-ground light rail,
and in 1986, the MAX opened with a stretch from Gresham’s Cleveland Avenue, west towards
downtown Portland, ending at Library/Galleria stations, splitting the tracks into a loop
on SW Yamhill and Morrison, ending at a turnaround loop on SW 11th Avenue, still here to this
day.
The line opened largely on the side of the I-84 highway and NE Holladay St., between
Rose Quarter and Gateway, forming what I like to call the “northeast corridor”, (not
to be confused with the one between DC and Boston) as it will later be served by three
lines.
In 1997, the MAX was expanded a bit west to Kings Hill station, near Lincoln High School,
and offering services to PGE (now Providence) Park [go, Timbers!].
In 1998, what would become the blue line was completed with an extension far west to Beaverton
and Hillsboro, and Trimet’s first, and (currently) only underground station under Washington
Park, which I made a video about [here].
2001 saw the opening of the red line between Library/Galleria and Portland International
Airport, giving direct service between the airport and downtown Portland.
It also saw the opening of the Portland Streetcar, on what would become the North-South (or NS)
line, between NW 23rd Avenue and SW 10th/11th & Clay.
The line was extended to Beaverton Transit Center (TC) in 2003.
In 2004, the yellow line opened between Library/Galleria and the Expo Center, providing services to
North Portland through a second station at the Rose Quarter, making transfers really
confusing to newcomers.
In 2005, the streetcar was extended south to around SW Harrison, and was further extended
in 2006 to meet up with the new Aerial Tram between the OHSU Hospital at the top of the
Marquam Hill, and the new and emerging South Waterfront/SoWa district.
In 2007, the NS line was finally complete, with the opening of the South Waterfront loop.
2009 was a big year for Trimet, as the completion of the SW 5th/6th Avenue transit mall between
Union Station and Portland State University allowed the yellow line to be rerouted to
ease congestion.
This was also the year the green line opened, from PSU, through the “northeast corridor”,
all the way to the Clackamas Town Center mall, providing the first rail services to SE Portland,
let alone Clackamas county.
Trimet also unveiled its first commuter rail, the Westside Express Service (WES), between
Beaverton TC and Wilsonville, connecting most of Washington county.
In 2012, a new streetcar line opened, then called the Central Loop (CL) line, between
SW 10th/11th & Clay and OMSI, via the Broadway Bridge and the Central Eastside Industrial
District (CEID).
2012 also saw the end of the fare zones, and thus, the Fareless Square.
Now Trimet riders required only one fare, no matter where they went, but would now have
to pay for trips downtown (you win some, you lose some, I guess).
Finally, in 2015, the CL line was renamed the A loop for clockwise routes, and the B
loop for counter-clockwise routes, connecting at the new Tilikum Crossing, also served by
the new orange line, technically an extension of the yellow line, through inner SE Portland
and Milwaukie, leaving us with what we have today, with the MAX map’s distinctive lizard-like
look.
In the future, Trimet is likely to expand in many ways, like a new MAX line to Tualatin,
an extension of the blue line to Cornelius and Forest Grove, and further projects like
more streetcars, green or orange line to Oregon City, or yellow line to Vancouver… actually
that was cancelled in 2010, but you
get what I mean!