TriMet MAX Gateway North station takes shape as A Better Red improvement project reaches completion

TriMet’s A Better Red MAX Extension and Reliability Improvements Project is getting closer towards its end goal, as the second phase of the project is set to be completed on March 4.

The centerpiece of the transit center’s expansion will be the new Gateway North MAX Station. While this will be its own separate station, it will also be part of the now-larger transit center, connected via a pedestrian pathway.  

TriMet's Gateway North, with the station’s structures mostly in place, will have hop readers, ticket machines, lighting and shelter glass installed during the next couple of weeks. During that time, construction crews will add the finishing touches on the concrete pathway.

Harsh winter storms in the Portland, Ore., area have shifted the end date by one week, pushing crews to work around the clock for the past three weeks to finish construction just north of the Gateway Transit Center. Affected by this construction are the MAX Blue and Green Line services, with the MAX Red Line service being put on temporary suspension. Shuttle buses have been dispatched to serve all closed stations. 

Along Interstate 84, other crews are using the disruption to make further improvements to TriMet’s oldest section of trackway. TriMet notes the crews have been replacing rail and upgrading rail ties, in addition to deep cleaning stations and picking up litter. 

TriMet has estimated a return of the MAX Blue, Green and Red Line trains to regular service in March, with improved service through the Gateway Transit Center. 

Focus on the future 

With track work at the Gateway Transit Center nearly complete, most of the remaining work involves tying it into the existing system. The improvements, along with the extended MAX Red Line that will be completed this summer, will improve reliability and allow TriMet to add capacity. 

On the west side, work continues on making Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport the new end of the MAX Red Line. Crews are finishing a new pedestrian crossing, along with a signals and communications room, both of which are on track to finish by the end of March. The Red Line extension will then open to the public in summer 2024, along with a new break building for operators. 

Improvements around the Gateway Transit Center and the airport — including the addition of a second track, a rebuilt PDX station and the new Gateway North MAX Station— will improve reliability across the entire system.