TriMet’s Red line improvement plan enters final phase for Portland MAX

Jami Seymore
·3 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — TriMet is in the final months of A Better Red, their ambitious years-long effort to improve the MAX Red line from PDX to Hillsboro. Now, it’s in the home stretch of the multimillion-dollar project near the Gateway Transit Center.

“This final phase of the project will be tying everything into the existing part of the system,” said Tyler Graf, TriMet’s public information officer.

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Crews are embarking on the final work to build a new Gateway North Station, joining two new bridges built over the freeway, a new railway track, and a multi-use bike and walking path, which is all a part of the $215 million project. It’s designed to improve service on the MAX Red line which is also expanding multiple stops west to Hillsboro. One of the newest additions includes a second track.

“This way, we can now move trains around each other more efficiently and there won’t be the source of traffic jams that could result,” Graf said.

First breaking ground in Sept. 2021, TriMet plans to be done by late February and the landscape at the site will look entirely different.

  • Trimet's A Better Red improvement plan sees upgraded Gateway station in final phase for Portland Max
    Trimet’s A Better Red MAX improvement plan enters its final phase with a renovation to the Gateway Transit Center. Friday December 15, 2023 (KOIN).
  • Trimet's A Better Red improvement plan sees upgraded Gateway station in final phase for Portland Max
    Trimet’s A Better Red MAX improvement plan enters its final phase with a renovation to the Gateway Transit Center. Friday December 15, 2023 (KOIN).
  • Trimet's A Better Red improvement plan sees upgraded Gateway station in final phase for Portland Max
    Trimet’s A Better Red MAX improvement plan enters its final phase with a renovation to the Gateway Transit Center. Friday December 15, 2023 (KOIN).
  • Trimet's A Better Red improvement plan sees upgraded Gateway station in final phase for Portland Max
    Trimet’s A Better Red MAX improvement plan enters its final phase with a renovation to the Gateway Transit Center. Friday December 15, 2023 (KOIN).
  • Trimet's A Better Red improvement plan sees upgraded Gateway station in final phase for Portland Max
    Trimet’s A Better Red MAX improvement plan enters its final phase with a renovation to the Gateway Transit Center. Friday December 15, 2023 (KOIN).

“It’s a big relief, there’s a lot of planning that has gone into the project, years of planning,” Graf said.

However, with the final touches, there will be upcoming disruptions from Jan. 14 to Feb. 25, with the Gateway Transit Center closed to MAX trains. Red line service will be suspended while Blue and Green lines will have multiple shuttle bus routes operating as crews also do work to upgrade the tracks, so riders should prepare with extra time for their commute. Blue line shuttles will run from NE 7th to E 102nd Ave. The Green line will only run between the Clackamas Town Center and SE Main St. shuttles will then run between SE Main and the Gateway Transit Center, then up to PDX.

“It’s a little bit more complicated than some of the disruptions we’ve done in the past and that’s why we’re encouraging riders to plan ahead now,” Graf said.

The Red line service that’s extending in Beaverton and Hillsboro will open later on, slated for Fall 2024.

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