‘A Better Red’ disrupts some MAX service; time to weigh in on our next Forward Together service plan; the TriMet heroes who helped save a rider in crisis

See what we've been up to at TriMet!

snow and ice 2024

Thawing out from winter storms

Thank you! We want to let our riders know how much we appreciate your patience and understanding following a winter storm that made traveling challenging throughout the region. At TriMet, it led to an unprecedented effort to maintain and restore transit service. 

Line 4-Fessenden

We hope you’ll join us in saluting the hundreds of dedicated employees across TriMet who worked to provide as much service as was safely possible and get MAX restored despite the conditions and challenges brought by the bitter cold, wind, snow and ice. For some, that meant grabbing shovels and literally digging out from the ice storm to keep TriMet and our riders on the move.

Better Red logo

Keeping 'A Better Red' on track

The storm shifted the timeline for the latest MAX disruption necessary for our A Better Red MAX Extension and Reliability Improvements Project. The planned disruption to the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines is now underway. We continue to urge riders who regularly travel through the disruption area to consider alternate transportation if possible. 

a better red feb 24 disruption map

If you plan on taking MAX, use our trip planning tools to help you reach your destination the fastest.  We will return the lines to regular service on Monday, March 4. We appreciate your patience as we work on this critical phase of the project.

Rosa parks day promotional poster

Riding in honor of Rosa Parks

Celebrate the life and legacy of Rosa Parks! Ride with us on Sunday, Feb. 4. TriMet will not collect fares on the day to honor Parks’ legacy as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement. Her valiant act of defiance on a segregated city bus in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming transportation as a civil right. Our transit partners C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar will also suspend fare collection for Rosa Parks Day.

TriMet buses in Portland

Hearing from our riders on service improvements

We want to hear from you as we plan our next round of Forward Together bus service improvements! Proposals for 2024-2025 include three new Frequent Service lines and additional adjustments to bring better bus service to the metro area. We’re also moving ahead on closing the little-used Skidmore Fountain MAX Station in Downtown Portland. That will speed up trains, reducing trip times for MAX Blue and Red Line riders. 

Weigh in online by Feb. 11, or attend one of the open houses that we’re hosting Jan. 25 through Feb. 1. Learn more at trimet.org/plan.

MAX at Gateway TC

Maintaining our MAX system with more overnight work

At just 47 minutes with no trains on the system, our MAX system has the second-shortest window for performing overnight maintenance of any public light rail system in the United States. That’s why we are considering moving late-night and early-morning MAX train trips to MAX night buses. 

Adding a network of night buses on all MAX lines expands on our Line 291-Orange Night Bus, which has served riders since the MAX Orange Line opened in 2015. It will give crews more time to do work and improvements on the MAX system at a time when few people are riding, while reducing both unplanned and planned disruptions for a better overall customer experience. Learn more here.

Logo rosette

Looking for a career move?

With more than 3,200 employees, TriMet is one of the region’s largest employers. If you’re considering a career move in 2024, why not give us a try? We have a variety of positions in a number of fields. All of the work helps provide a valued public service to our community. Here are just a few of the positions currently available at trimet.org/careers. Apply today!

TriMet employees honored by Board

Operator Joe Wiggins (center); Operations Control Center Assistant Manager Chia Claro (left of Wiggins); Road Supervisor Hassan Hassan (right of Wiggins)

Honoring TriMet's quick-thinking heroes

TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. and the TriMet Board of Directors honored bus driver Joe Wiggins, supervisor Hassan Hassan, assistant manager Chia Claro and dispatcher Zoey Owens for their role in getting a rider the medical attention he needed. With no ambulances available, Wiggins drove the rider to the hospital in his bus, escorted by Portland Fire & Rescue. It’s what any TriMet driver in his place would have done, Wiggins said.

It was an emotional moment at the Board meeting, and the outstanding employees received a standing ovation for their actions. “This is what we want TriMet to be,” Dr. LaVerne Lewis, Board Vice-President, told them. “You’re all heroes.”

fx buses with trees

Did you know? FX2-Division

Take a virtual ride on FX2-Division with this timelapse video recently posted to our social media channels! Did you know:

  • FX stands for “Frequent Express.” It’s a faster, higher-capacity bus service that we debuted in 2022.
  • FX2-Division is our first Frequent Express route, covering a 15-mile route that stretches between Gresham and Downtown Portland.
  • FX uses longer buses that carry more riders, allow for easier boarding and offer more space to enjoy the ride.
  • In its first year, FX2-Division saw a 40% ridership increase over the previous Line 2 service.
  • A 2023 study found the transit priority features on FX2-Division save riders up to eight minutes of roundtrip travel time between Gresham and inner Southeast Portland!
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