TriMet

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TriMet
150 × 50 pixels
Locale Portland metropolitan area
Transit type Commuter Rail
Light Rail
Streetcar
Local Bus
Began operation December 1, 1969 [1]
System length Rail – 71.3 km (44.3 mi)
Number of lines 3 Light rail
1 Streetcar
98 Bus routes
Number of stations 64
Daily ridership 266,000 (Daily Average) (FY 2007) [2]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Operator(s) Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon
[1]

TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. TriMet provides the region's bus system, the MAX Light Rail system, as well as LIFT paratransit service required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. As of October 2006, the system averages over 300,000 rides per weekday[3] and operates buses and trains between the hours of approximately 5 AM and 2 AM with no "night owl" service.

Contents

[edit] General information

A TriMet bus parked near MAX tracks.
A TriMet bus parked near MAX tracks.

TriMet serves portions of the counties of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas; the district extends from Troutdale to Forest Grove east to west, and from Sauvie Island to Oregon City and Estacada north to south.

TriMet was founded in 1969 after disputes between the city and Rose City Transit, the company that previously operated the bus system.[4] It is "a municipal corporation of the State of Oregon", with powers to tax, issue bonds, and enact police ordinances. TriMet is governed by a board of directors appointed by the Governor of Oregon.[5]

The TriMet district is divided into three fare zones, with fares based on the number of zones in which a passenger travels.[6] Zone 1 consists of the Portland city center out one to two miles. Zone 2 is a ring around Zone 1 out two to three more miles. Zone 3 wraps around Zone 2 and consists of rest of the system within the suburbs of Portland. Clark County's C-TRAN uses TriMet's zones and adds a Zone 4 that includes the outer reaches of Clark County. Within Zone 1 is Fareless Square, an area in and around downtown Portland within which all rides on the TriMet system are zero-fare.

TriMet tickets and passes are also valid on the Portland Streetcar, which is run by the City of Portland.

In 2004, TriMet operated a total of 638 buses on 93 lines, 105 MAX light rail cars on three lines, 6 special shuttles and 208 LIFT paratransit vehicles. MAX and 16 of the bus lines are scheduled to operate at 15 minute headways throughout much of the service day.[7] TriMet also has a variety of shuttle and special event services.

TriMet connects to several other mass transit systems:[8]

Transportation planning for the metropolitan area is provided by Metro, an elected regional government.

[edit] TriMet rail lines

See also: MAX Light Rail
MAX train traveling on the Yellow line to Portland.
MAX train traveling on the Yellow line to Portland.

TriMet runs MAX Light Rail (short for Metropolitan Area Express) service and has a commuter rail line under development. Fares on MAX are the same as TriMet bus fares, and operate the honor system. Fare inspectors patrol the system randomly; no system is available to consistantly check fares like SmarTrip in Washington, DC, or Chicago Card in Chicago, Illinois. There are currently no plans to implement such a system, despite reports of violence on the system and calls for more security[10].

TriMet's rail lines include:

See also: Portland Streetcar (operated and partially funded by TriMet, but not a TriMet service)

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Buses

TriMet operates a total of 660 buses in 18 fleets, ranging from paratransit cars and mini-buses buses to 30 and 40 foot (9 and 12 meter) buses[11]. Unlike many transit agencies, TriMet does not operate 60 foot (18 meter) buses, despite calls for added capacity. Previous articulated buses, made by Ikarus Bus, had an array of problems and were discontinued. There are also two hybrid buses currently in service.

TriMet's buses operate out of three garages for easy dispatch: Powell Garage to the east, Merlo Garage on the west side, and the Center Garage near downtown.

[edit] MAX

See also: MAX Light Rail

There are 95 light rail vehicles divided into three "types": Type 1, 2, and 3[12]. A third fleet is on order for the scheduled opening of the MAX Green Line.

Portland MAX Light Rail Cars
Designation Car numbers Manufacturer First used Capacity # in fleet
Type 1 1xx Bombardier 1986 166 26
Type 2 2xx Siemens 1997 166 52
Type 3 3xx Siemens 2004 166 27
Type 4 4xx Siemens 2008 232 21

[edit] Timeline

The following timeline is taken mostly from TriMet's November/December 2004 newsletter, the Rider Insider:

  • 1969 Tri-Met takes over for the nearly bankrupt Rose City Transit. The system has 175 buses and a daily ridership of about 65,000.
  • 1974 The first shelters at bus stops are installed.
  • 1975 The "Fareless Square" is created in downtown Portland, with the goal of reducing short automobile trips within the city core and attract more riders. Fares outside the Square are 35 cents.
  • 1976 Bus drivers are allowed to grow facial hair.
  • 1978 The 22 block Portland Transit Mall opens on downtown's Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The mall includes bus-only lanes and provides a hub to make it easier for riders to make connections. As of 2007, the mall is closed to add a light rail line, which are scheduled to open in September 2009, and revitalize it[2].
  • 1981 Tri-Met introduces articulated buses for the first time. 24-hour recorded schedule information becomes available over the phone.
  • 1986 The 15 mile (24 km) long MAX Blue Line between Portland and Gresham opens. It re-introduces passenger rail service, missing since the 1950s.
  • 1989 Tri-Met is named "America's Best Transit Agency" by the American Public Transportation Association.
  • 1995 Tri-Met's website goes online, hosted by local ISP Teleport (which eventually becomes acquired by OneMain.com, later to become part of Earthlink). At the time when Internet access was less ubiquitous, Tri-Met also offered a dial-up information service through Teleport using UNIX shell and Lynx.
    Downtown Portland bus service has been moved
    Downtown Portland bus service has been moved
  • 1997 The first low floor buses and trains go into service.
  • 1998 Westside MAX (now known as the Blue line between Portland and Hillsboro) opens. Tri-Met also establishes bus lines that come every 15 minutes or sooner everyday, lessening the need to consult a schedule when using them.
  • 1999 Satellite-assisted bus arrival time displays (later to be named Transit Tracker) are installed at select major bus stops in North Portland and downtown.
  • 2001 Fareless Square is expanded to a small portion of Northeast Portland between Lloyd Center and the Steel Bridge. Airport MAX (the Red line) begins service on September 10 after a public/private partnership, prompted by a proposal from Bechtel Corporation, enables its construction years ahead of TriMet's plans for the use of public funds. Bechtel got development rights to 120 acres (486,000 m²) near the entrance to Portland International Airport. The original MAX line began to be referred to as the MAX Blue Line upon the opening of the Red Line. Bus sector symbols began to be phased out from maps and publications.
  • 2002 With the September schedule change, Tri-Met launches a new corporate identity strategy. It is renamed TriMet (without a hyphen) and a new logo and blue, white and yellow livery are introduced. An improved automated phone service is introduced.
  • 2004 Interstate MAX (the Yellow line) opens along Interstate Avenue. The fleet has grown to 638 buses, 208 paratransit vehicles, and 105 trains with a daily ridership of over 300,000.
  • 2005 TriMet introduces B5 biodiesel fuel into its fleet, with plans to expand it to the entire fleet instead of continuing to fuel conventional diesel buses with pure diesel.
  • 2007 Portland Mall on 5th and 6th Avenues is shut down for the new MAX Green Line project. The project will take approximately 2 years and will run service from Portland State University to Clackamas Town Center.

[edit] TriMet service district

The following cities and communities are in the TriMet service area:

TriMet buses also serve Wilsonville, Oregon (and formerly Vancouver, Washington) in order to provide connections to transit services in that city.

[edit] References

  1. ^ TriMet Story
  2. ^ Bus and MAX stats
  3. ^ Fact Sheet. TriMet
  4. ^ TriMet History. TriMet
  5. ^ Board of Directors. TriMet
  6. ^ Fare Zones. TriMet
  7. ^ Bus service. TriMet
  8. ^ Connects to other transit systems. TriMet
  9. ^ Department of Revenue: Business Taxes Transit Payroll Taxes for Employers
  10. ^ TriMet Safety. TriMet Safety Editorial
  11. ^ Vehicle Fleet Facts
  12. ^ MAX Fleet Facts

[edit] External links

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