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TriMet completes MAX Red Line expansion, announces bus and overnight light rail service changes

The public transit agency serving Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties is capping its Better Red project and making headway on its Forward Together initiative.

A light rail train near an airport terminal in Portland, Oregon.

The first TriMet MAX Red Line train arrives at PDX at 4:43 a.m. every day.

Photo by Port of Portland

TriMet rolled out a bus-load of new changes to its transit services this week, adding new bus lines and eliminating others, renaming MAX stations, and adjusting its late-night offerings. The MAX Red Line expansion project is also crossing the finish line.

A Better Red

Wednesday, Aug. 28 marks TriMet’s official opening of the extended MAX Red Line, which will travel west from the Beaverton Transit Center and incorporate 10 more stations ending at the Hillsboro Airport/Fairgrounds station. Red Line riders will also be able to travel from Hillsboro Airport to Portland International Airport without changing trains.

The Better Red project started nearly three years ago and included the creation of a new Gateway North station. A second, mile-long Red Line track was also recently added between Gateway and PDX to improve flow.

Forward Together

The completion of the Red Line extension coincides with dozens of additional TriMet updates aimed at meeting public transportation needs in a post-pandemic landscape.

A graphic showing Blue, Yellow, Red, and Orange MAX train line routes and the numbered bus lines that will take over their services at specific times.

Replacing MAX trains with buses during late night and early morning hours will allow for more overnight maintenance projects, TriMet said.

Graphic by TriMet

These are some of the changes riders can expect:

  • Bus lines 85, 99, and 154 have been discontinued. TriMet’s new Line 40, which runs between Sellwood and Swan Island, replaces 85 and 99, while the new Line 153 replaces 154 with service between Lake Oswego and Willamette Falls.
  • Buses will replace MAX trains starting late every night (around midnight) and into the early morning hours.
  • Three MAX stations have new names: Hillsboro Airport/Fairgrounds (previously Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport), Hillsboro Health District (previously Tuality Hospital/SE 8th Ave), and Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave (previously Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave Transit Center).
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