Portland's common sense approach: building trust with local citizens and funding providers, TriMet's practical approach to operations and extensions has ensured further growth for the 17-year-old MAX system - Metropolitan Area eXpress

Railway Age, Nov, 2003 by Frank Malone

This past May, when he delivered a ceremonial check for $68.8 million, Federal Transit Deputy Administrator Robert Jamison said: "The FTA is pleased to partner with TriMet to provide common sense solutions to residents in the Portland area."

The money was for an addition to the light rail MAX (Metropolitan Area eXpress) system, which Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon launched and has operated and expanded in a manner that indeed makes common sense.

The latest extension, reaching from the Rose Quarter north to the Expo Center, will be known as the Yellow Line, or Interstate MAX. It will loop through the city center by sharing trackage of the Red (Airport MAX) and Blue (Eastside and Westside MAX) lines.

TriMet expects to start Yellow Line service in May--four months sooner than scheduled and $25 million under budget. The agency broke the mold on Interstate MAX, says Fred Hansen, TriMet general manager, "by improving on contracting and incorporating construction efficiencies and better materials."

Viewing the Yellow Line as the "greenest" of all routes, TriMet claims to be one of the first agencies to use "creative environmentally friendly materials," such as recycled plastic for bollards and chains and recycled asphalt and steel rebar. That effort also produced $3 million in savings. Surplus funds will go for such Yellow Line enhancements as more station security cameras and improved track and signals. Contractors included local firms Stacy and Witbeck and FE Ward, with URS, Parsons Brinckerhoff, David Evans and Associates, and LTK Engineering Services as primary consultants.

With about 80,000 weekday boardings, MAX is one of the few rail transit systems anywhere to see ridership grow in recent months, despite a sluggish local economy. For FY 2003, boardings totaled 26.1 million, compared with 25.4 million in FY 2002. The LRV fleet totals 95, including 26 from Bombardier and 69 from Siemens, with ten more due from the latter.

Through FY 2002, MAX boardings had nearly quadrupled since the 15-mile Eastside Line to Gresham opened in September 1986. This past September, airport trains started running west to Beaverton, boosting service on the Portland-Beaverton segment of the Blue Line. For FY 2003, the MAX farebox recovery ratio was 46%.

Besides revenues, a major source of TriMet operating subsidies is a tax collected from employers in Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas counties, amounting to $6.22 per $1,000 in gross payroll. Other sources include an in lieu tax on state offices in TriMet's district, plus operating grants and a Medical Transportation Program. Oregon has no sales tax to provide transit subsidies.

TriMet continues to see ridership grow, while looking forward to an earlier than expected boost from the new Yellow Line's projected weekday volume of nearly 14,000 boardings. Contributing will be enhanced bus connections throughout the Interstate MAX corridor. The alignment differs from an original version, as TriMet incorporated changes sought by the community. These included lower costs, no displacement of homes or businesses, no property tax increase to cover construction costs, local benefit from construction jobs, and contribution to community revitalization.

Including new vehicles, the total cost of the new line is about $350 million, with $257.5 million in federal New Start money. That's an impressive 72.5% federal share, reflecting TriMet's success in building rail projects and exceeding ridership projections.

Previously, TriMet had obtained 83% federal funding for the original $214 million 15-mile Eastside MAX, which opened on schedule and under budget. That laid the foundation for steady expansion, notes Portland-based John Schumann of LTK Engineering Services. "The agency carefully analyzed rail, bus, and highway alternatives before selecting LRT for the east line," he recalls. "They coordinated with other local entities to build a solid coalition that worked effectively with state and federal legislators to obtain funding. Coming in on time and within budget simultaneously built trust with funding agencies. Suburban buses were coordinated as feeders to LRT from the first day of operation, leading to rider acceptance and growth. That success produced a community desire for system expansion."

Eastside MAX was built mostly through existing neighborhoods and became a catalyst for redevelopment and infill projects. TriMet says the line sparked more than $2 billion in development, especially in downtown and the neighboring Lloyd District. The Westside extension, which opened in September 1998, has attracted nearly 8,000 housing units and about $1 billion in new transit-oriented development.

A PPP for the airport line

The $123 million, 5.5-mile Airport MAX Red Line was built with no federal funding, state general funds, or additional property taxes. Using the median of I-205, it developed through an innovative public/private venture involving TriMet, the city, the Port of Portland, the Portland Development Commission, and Bechtel Enterprises, which contributed $25 million. Using design/build and fast-track construction, Bechtel built the extension in exchange for development rights to 120 acres at the airport entrance. Through the Development Commission, the three local agencies took advantage of private investment to extend light rail to the airport sooner than originally planned.