TriMet to replace elevators at the deepest transit station in North America
Thanks to the TriMet Elevator Improvement Program, TriMet will be replacing the elevators at North America’s deepest transit station, Washington Park, starting July 8.
With the elevators being the only way to reach the ground level from the platform, the elevators have endured significant wear and tear. Crews are expected to complete replacing the cabs and other components in the two sets of elevators in about eight months, starting on the World Forestry Side then working to the Oregon Zoo side.
One set of elevators will remain operational so the station can remain open during the project. Riders using the MAX Blue or Red lines should plan for a few extra minutes during busy times.
TriMet’s Elevator Improvement Program is a $22 million, multi-year project that began in 2018 and will upgrade or replace 19 elevators throughout the system. Improvements are also underway on the elevators between the platform and plaza levels at the Sunset Transit Center. Those who cannot use the stairs between the two levels should plan a few extra minutes to use the path at the east side of the station to get between the eastbound and westbound platforms.
The elevator improvements are part of TriMet’s Making Transit Better initiative and come just a few years after the renovation of the platform level at the Washington Park MAX Station.
Megan Perrero | Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.
