Post by Elson on May 21, 2007 13:47:37 GMT -8
I spent all last week on vacation in Portland, OR. Fascinating city! They have a 20-year old light rail system called MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) with three lines (Blue, Red and Yellow) and one currently under construction. The transit system in Portland is called Tri-Met; referring to the three counties (Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas) that make up the Portland Metropolitan area.
Its Blue Line runs from the eastern suburb of Gresham to Downtown Portland to the western suburb of Hilsboro. The Red Line runs in the trunk of the Blue Line trackage, from Beaverton in the west to Downtown to Portland International Airport in the northeast side of town. The Yellow Line runs from Downtown to "Expo Center" (Portland's equivalent of our Pomona Fairplex) which is right on the Columbia River across from Washington state.
MAX's Red Line is amazing; the airport station is literally yards from the baggage carousels! Perhaps the most convenient airport transit I've ever used. Here is the train that picked me up from the airport.
After a transfer to the Blue Line, I took another train to my hotel on 181st Avenue in suburban Gresham (hotel rates are cheaper). Best of all, the hotel was literally yards from the MAX station!
Portland's MAX even goes to Hollywood! Portland's Hollywood District, that is! As you can see, like our Hollywood, it's served by the Red Line, it has a "Hollywood Bowl" (a bowling alley actually
, a theatre and a Rite-Aid...and to make things even more at home there's a Trader Joe's there too!
Here's a MAX TVM. They have three zones and various fares for those zones, maximum is $2 for unlimited travel within two hours. There's also a "Fareless Square" in Downtown Portland where all buses and trains are free. I bought a daypass for $4.25. Interesting to note, in the P.C. Portland TVMs, the elderly are called "Honored Citizens" (lol...even the cranky, senile ones?).
Portland's Tri-Met system is innovative in that it has a "transit Tracker" number where one can call an automated phone line, enter the ID number of their station and get real-time arrival notices of the next few bus or trains arriving! You can even call the number yourself with your cellphone to see how it really works!
Here's what the MAX LRVs look like inside. They have two generations of LRVs, the first one made by Bombardier, the second one, a low-floor model, made by Siemens, which are identical to the Houston low-floor cars. The third-generation cars, to be used on the new lines, are basically the same as the streamlined Houston low-floor Siemens cars. All LRVs have lowered skirting that conceals the wheels, giving it the impression it's floating on air.
All MAX LRVs have automated recorded station stop calls in English and Spanish. Stations have both inside and outside platforms, and when the trains approach and notifies the passengers where to exit, the train addresses the passengers as if it is talking to them - "Old Town/Chinatown station. Doors to my right."
The line is all double-tracked, but there is a short single-track segment ridging the Red Line tracks to the main line. The alignment also runs in the center of the I-205 and off to the side of the I-84 freeways.
MAX also travels underground, underneath Washington Park. Here is MAX's only "subway" station, some 300+ feet below the surface.
There are four large elevators that take passengers up to the surface.
On weekends. the area around the Skidmore Fountain station host the Portland Saturday Market, a farmer's market like environment where arts and crafts are sold rather than produce. There are also some excellent food booths and live music entertainment here.
The Portland Streetcar is not part of MAX but instead is a separate system run by a non-profit board. The trains are run by Tri-Met operators and they do honor all Tri-Met tickets and passes. The stations of the Portland Streetcar are all sponsored by institutions or private businesses that serve that station. Even the sponsorships are announced in the stop calls. The streetcar runs in the Downtown area from the hip Nob Hill district, through the upscale Pearl District, criss-crossing MAX in Downtown, through Portland State University (there's a stop right outside the Urban Planning school, how cool is that?) and ends at Oregon Health Sciences University's aerial tram station, which takes people up the hill to OHSU's hospital and campus.
Here's the inside of the Portland Streetcar.
Aside from MAX, Portland has some excellent bikeways and bike lanes, it's the most bike-friendly city in the country. People look at you funny there if you ride your bike on the sidewalk!
Its Blue Line runs from the eastern suburb of Gresham to Downtown Portland to the western suburb of Hilsboro. The Red Line runs in the trunk of the Blue Line trackage, from Beaverton in the west to Downtown to Portland International Airport in the northeast side of town. The Yellow Line runs from Downtown to "Expo Center" (Portland's equivalent of our Pomona Fairplex) which is right on the Columbia River across from Washington state.
MAX's Red Line is amazing; the airport station is literally yards from the baggage carousels! Perhaps the most convenient airport transit I've ever used. Here is the train that picked me up from the airport.
After a transfer to the Blue Line, I took another train to my hotel on 181st Avenue in suburban Gresham (hotel rates are cheaper). Best of all, the hotel was literally yards from the MAX station!
Portland's MAX even goes to Hollywood! Portland's Hollywood District, that is! As you can see, like our Hollywood, it's served by the Red Line, it has a "Hollywood Bowl" (a bowling alley actually
, a theatre and a Rite-Aid...and to make things even more at home there's a Trader Joe's there too!Here's a MAX TVM. They have three zones and various fares for those zones, maximum is $2 for unlimited travel within two hours. There's also a "Fareless Square" in Downtown Portland where all buses and trains are free. I bought a daypass for $4.25. Interesting to note, in the P.C. Portland TVMs, the elderly are called "Honored Citizens" (lol...even the cranky, senile ones?).
Portland's Tri-Met system is innovative in that it has a "transit Tracker" number where one can call an automated phone line, enter the ID number of their station and get real-time arrival notices of the next few bus or trains arriving! You can even call the number yourself with your cellphone to see how it really works!
Here's what the MAX LRVs look like inside. They have two generations of LRVs, the first one made by Bombardier, the second one, a low-floor model, made by Siemens, which are identical to the Houston low-floor cars. The third-generation cars, to be used on the new lines, are basically the same as the streamlined Houston low-floor Siemens cars. All LRVs have lowered skirting that conceals the wheels, giving it the impression it's floating on air.
All MAX LRVs have automated recorded station stop calls in English and Spanish. Stations have both inside and outside platforms, and when the trains approach and notifies the passengers where to exit, the train addresses the passengers as if it is talking to them - "Old Town/Chinatown station. Doors to my right."
The line is all double-tracked, but there is a short single-track segment ridging the Red Line tracks to the main line. The alignment also runs in the center of the I-205 and off to the side of the I-84 freeways.
MAX also travels underground, underneath Washington Park. Here is MAX's only "subway" station, some 300+ feet below the surface.
There are four large elevators that take passengers up to the surface.
On weekends. the area around the Skidmore Fountain station host the Portland Saturday Market, a farmer's market like environment where arts and crafts are sold rather than produce. There are also some excellent food booths and live music entertainment here.
The Portland Streetcar is not part of MAX but instead is a separate system run by a non-profit board. The trains are run by Tri-Met operators and they do honor all Tri-Met tickets and passes. The stations of the Portland Streetcar are all sponsored by institutions or private businesses that serve that station. Even the sponsorships are announced in the stop calls. The streetcar runs in the Downtown area from the hip Nob Hill district, through the upscale Pearl District, criss-crossing MAX in Downtown, through Portland State University (there's a stop right outside the Urban Planning school, how cool is that?) and ends at Oregon Health Sciences University's aerial tram station, which takes people up the hill to OHSU's hospital and campus.
Here's the inside of the Portland Streetcar.
Aside from MAX, Portland has some excellent bikeways and bike lanes, it's the most bike-friendly city in the country. People look at you funny there if you ride your bike on the sidewalk!
