Construction for improvements to TriMet MAX disrupting regular service between April 16 and May 6

TriMet will experience a 21-day disruption of MAX Blue, Green, and Red lines due to rail construction and rehabilitation work. A five-mile section, from Gateway Transit Center to NE 7th Avenue, will close the MAX system from April 16 through May 6. During this time, shuttle buses will run to service closed stations.

Shuttle buses will depart about every five minutes from the closed stations during peak hours. During the disruption, MAX Green and Red Line trains will not travel west of the Gateway Transit Center. Riders should use MAX Blue Line for trips between NE 7th Avenue and Beaverton and the MAX Orange and Yellow lines in downtown Portland. During the disruption, there will be no service impacts to MAX Orange and Yellow lines or bus service.

The agency will have 15 projects underway concurrently, the biggest of which will be the installation of special trackwork at the Gateway/NE 99th Avenue  Transit Center. Part of the Better Red MAX Extension and Reliability Improvements Project, the special trackwork component will play a critical role in moving MAX Red Line trains through the new light-rail configuration being built in and around the Gateway Transit Center once work is completed in 2024.

Project upgrades: Cleaner, newer and better 

In addition to the installation of a special track component at Gateway/NE 99th Avenue Transit Center, TriMet will take advantage of the three-week shutdown to complete maintenance work at the Hollywood/NE 42nd Avenue Transit Center and a curved section of track at NE 43rd Avenue. Running along I-84, these sections are part of the original MAX system, built in 1986. Crews will replace rail and ties and maintain the track ballast for a smoother, more reliable ride once trains return to regular service on May 7.

Elsewhere, between Gateway Transit Center and NE 7th Avenue, work will include:

• Cleaning the track from Gateway to NE 7th Avenue.
• Clearing brush and removing graffiti between the Lloyd Neighborhood and Gateway
• Cleaning and pressure washing platforms from Gateway to NE 7th Avenue.
• Replacing the overhead contact wire that powers trains, along with the weight stacks that maintain wire tension during extremely hot days.

TriMet will also install new LED lighting, part of a system-wide move to both improve the lighting around the agency's stations and to reduce energy consumption. LEDs are significantly more efficient than incandescent lighting, allowing TriMet to adjust the lighting levels as needed.

A Better Red 

A Better Red is right around the corner. TriMet has finished more than 60 percent of the project, which is on track to be fully completed in fall 2024. Once done, A Better Red will extend MAX Red Line west 10 stations to Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport, add a second track and new infrastructure to sections near the Gateway/NE 99th Avenue Transit Center and Portland International Airport and add a new station, Gateway North, to serve westbound Red Line riders.