Aug. 25 service improvements will get TriMet riders where they need to go, when they need to be there

TriMet is preparing to roll out our latest round of Forward Together service improvements on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024.

These improvements include upgrades both large and small that will help connect riders to vital opportunities: jobs, schools, health care and more. Riders will experience these benefits in all three counties we serve!

Welcoming Line 40!

Starting Aug. 25, catch the new Line 40-Tacoma/Swan Island, with service to Swan Island, Rose Quarter, Downtown Portland and Southeast Portland.

This new line connects with the MAX Orange Line at the SE Tacoma St/Johnson Creek MAX Station, and with the MAX Blue, Green, Red and Yellow lines at the Rose Quarter Transit Center.

We’ve designed this line with workers in mind. It will run on all days, with buses arriving twice every hour for much of the day.

Our Forward Together service concept focuses on increasing ridership and making bus service more convenient and accessible for more people, especially those who rely on transit — including commuters. That means more direct bus connections between home and work.

With Line 40, workers will have a one-seat ride from neighborhoods like South Waterfront and Sellwood to their jobs at Swan Island or elsewhere along the line, including in Portland City Center.

With the new line providing service in place of lesser-used bus lines, TriMet will discontinue lines 85 and 99. Riders will still be served by other bus lines as well as Line 40.

Extending Line 25!

TriMet’s public outreach process is a crucial component of Forward Together. To make the most informed decisions about where to prioritize new bus service, and how to increase ridership, we need to hear from the communities we serve.

For example, in Multnomah County, school communities at Reynolds High School and Mt. Hood Community College asked for more service, including a direct connection to MAX. And TriMet has answered!

We are extending Line 25, which is getting a name update as well: Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd. As its new name suggests, Line 25 will run farther east to serve Troutdale. Buses will also arrive about every 30 minutes, and they’ll run every day.

Line 25 will have stops at Reynolds High School and Mt. Hood Community College. It will also take riders to other community destinations, including the Troutdale Library, the Troutdale Post Office, and retail and recreation areas.

Riders will be able to take Line 25 from Troutdale and Gresham to the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center in Northeast Portland, where they can connect with the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines.

Upgrading Line 29!

TriMet is also working with community partners as we roll out more Forward Together service benefits. One of those partners is Clackamas County, which recently opened the Lake Road Health Center. Its campus on Southeast Lake Road is the new home of Clackamas County’s behavioral health clinics.

Line 29-Lake/Webster Rd serves workers at the many businesses along Lake Road and nearby areas. We’re adding midday buses so Line 29 now runs throughout the day, Monday through Friday. Buses will arrive every hour.

This schedule expansion benefits patients at the Lake Road Health Center, workers at local employers like Bob’s Red Mill and Unified Grocers, and students at Milwaukie High School, among others.

Expanded service on Line 29 also improves connections with the MAX Green and Orange lines and more bus lines in North Clackamas County, including Line 34-Linwood/River Rd, which we’re extending to better serve the community.

Adjusting bus schedules

More than three-quarters of TriMet’s bus lines serve at least one high school, college or university campus. TriMet works with schools to get students where they need to go, when they need to be there.

Across our service area, we’re adjusting bus schedules by up to 5 minutes to better serve morning school bell times, including:

• Line 39-Arnold Creek/Hillsdale, with service to Ida B. Wells High School in Portland.
• Line 44-Capitol Hwy/Mocks Crest, with service to Ida B. Wells and Jefferson high schools in Portland.
• Line 45-Garden Home, with service to Ida B. Wells High School in Portland.
• Line 51-Vista/Sunset Blvd, with service to Ida B. Wells and Lincoln high schools in Portland.
• Line 55-Hamilton, with service to Jesuit High School in Beaverton and Ida B. Wells and Lincoln high schools in Portland.
• Line 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave, with service to Benson Polytechnic and Grant high schools in Portland and Milwaukie High School in the North Clackamas School District.

In addition, we’ve designed the new schedule for the extended Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd to align with bell times at Reynolds High School in the Reynolds School District.

Read more about the coming service improvements at trimet.org/servicechange.