TriMet's Gateway Transit Center was reopened to MAX trains on March 4, with its first expansion in nearly 40 years.
“The new station allows for more efficient travel from Portland International Airport to downtown Portland. That is important as we look to the future and revitalizing our region’s economy,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “During this pivotal time in our city’s history, investments in infrastructure projects — such as A Better Red — and attracting events and visitors will improve our economy, combat climate change, promote equity and connect people to jobs, services, venues and opportunity."
The opening of the Gateway Transit Center also marks another step toward completing the A Better Red MAX Extension and Reliability Improvements Project through a $99.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration and financial support from local partners.
Oregon Metro allocated nearly $9 million in formula-federal funds to the project and the Port of Portland provided another $2.3 million. Altogether, federal and local partners contributed about half of the overall cost of the project.
TriMet notes MAX Red Line trains are now able to travel on a double set of tracks between the Gateway area and Portland International Airport, which has improved reliability of the MAX system. Red Line trains heading to downtown Portland and farther west now have a faster, more efficient route and serve a new station, Gateway North.
“The A Better Red project is an important step forward in making our transportation system safer, easier to use and more reliable,” said Oregon Metro President Lynn Peterson. “Extending the Red Line further into Washington County means more travel options for commuters on the west side, cutting travel times throughout the Tualatin Valley and it improves access to important destinations like downtown Portland, the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Zoo and Portland’s Centers for the Arts.”
The reopening of the Gateway Transit Center and grand opening of Gateway North mark the end of major construction of A Better Red on the east side. Since the project broke ground in fall 2021, crews had been working on a series of major changes between Gateway and Portland International Airport, a stretch of the MAX system that is now more than two decades old.
A partial list of improvements made during the past two years include:
- Adding new track and systems in the Gateway area
- Building new bridges over I-84 and existing tracks to carry trains, pedestrians and cyclists.
- Constructing the Gateway North MAX Station
- Creating a pedestrian path connecting Gateway North to the main Gateway Transit Center
- Adding a half mile of new track near Portland International Airport
- Rebuilding and improving the Portland International Airport MAX Station to accommodate the new track
- Creating a new pathway to Gateway Green, the nearby park popular with cyclists
With the MAX Blue and Green lines also shut down since Jan. 21, crews also made improvements to the MAX system that runs along I-84, modernizing and replacing older equipment.
