TriMet’s Type 1 train takes a final bow at April 18 public event at Holladay Park, next to the Lloyd Center/NE 11th Ave MAX Station
TriMet is inviting the community to join us in celebrating an icon of public transportation, our original light rail vehicles, the Type 1 MAX train.
On Saturday, April 18, from noon to 3 p.m., TriMet will host a public celebration of our Type 1 trains before they go out of service forever. The event will be at Holladay Park in Northeast Portland, adjacent to our Lloyd Center/NE 11th Ave MAX Station. Anyone can join in this historic moment and interact, possibly for the last time, with a piece of regional and national transit history. It’s an opportunity to say goodbye to a train that has provided hundreds of thousands of trips over the past 40 years.
The Type 1s launched modern light rail in the Portland metro area in 1986. In doing so, the vehicles set a standard for other public transportation agencies to follow. After nearly four decades of service — providing millions of trips and traveling millions of miles — the remaining Type 1s are now 10 years past their due date, with their final days numbered.
TriMet began decommissioning the vehicles — preparing them for recycling or donation — in 2024 as we began introducing our newest trains, the Type 6s. The Type 1s, among the oldest light rail vehicles still operating on a major transit system in the United States, had exceeded their lifecycle, and replacement parts for them had become difficult to source.
“As much as the Type 1 has served as a reliable means of transportation for countless people over the decades, it has also acted as an inspiration for what’s possible here at TriMet,” TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said. “Without top-notch mechanics, operators, supervisors, cleaners and others, these trains would not have been able to provide the decades of service they have.”
The April 18 event will celebrate the 40-year history of the Type 1 and the employees, current and retired, who helped keep these trains running amid a changing system. Everyone is welcome aboard! It’s an opportunity to experience a piece of Portland’s transit legacy up close.
Event details
- What: Type 1 MAX Farewell Celebration
- When: Saturday, April 18, noon – 3 p.m.
- Who: The public, riders, TriMet employees and retirees are invited to join this experience.
For more information, visit: trimet.org/type1.
The centerpiece of the event will be a soon-to-be-retired Type 1 MAX car, turned into its own farewell card, with attendees invited to write farewell messages on the vehicle’s exterior.
At the event, we will unveil new commemorative Type 1 merchandise that will be available for purchase through the online TriMet Gear store. Event attendees will get a special 10% discount code for their purchases. The event will also feature photo opportunities, including a face-in-hole photoboard shaped like a Type 1. TriMet employees will be on hand to answer questions from our MAX fans.
Getting to the event
TriMet encourages attendees to take TriMet to the event. Conveniently located in the heart of the Lloyd Neighborhood, Holladay Park is mere steps away from the Lloyd Center/NE 11th Ave MAX Station, serving MAX Blue, Green and Red lines. Stops for bus lines 8-Jackson Park/NE 15th and 70-12th/NE 33rd are also nearby.
Plan your trip at trimet.org.
Museum MAX rolls this summer
One Type 1 has already been set aside for posterity, and starting this summer, riders will be able to hop aboard and take a ride.
In the summer of 2025, TriMet donated Car 101 to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks, Ore. It is the largest trolley museum in the Pacific Northwest, preserving historic streetcars and electric rail vehicles from around the world. As a living museum of rail history, it features an electrified track running through its property.
Car 101 is set to begin operating on the track this summer, marking the first time riders have been able to take a ride on it in over a year.
Light rail’s legacy continues
Since their September 5, 1986 debut, the Type 1s have provided transportation services to millions of riders. In the decades that followed, TriMet has continued to modernize the system, introducing the first low-floor light rail trains in North America in 1997, and improving the customer experience on board with every new train type we rolled out.
Our Type 6 trains began entering service in Jan. 2025. They come equipped with improved onboard digital displays, along with better lighting, safety and comfort features. The new trains are designed for the future, with improved reliability and diagnostics to track their condition.
Riders wanting to take one final trip on a Type 1 have limited opportunities, but they’re not out of luck quite yet. The final Type 1 will stop rolling later this spring. For dedicated train spotters, TriMet’s interactive TransitTracker, featuring real-time locations of all of our vehicles, can give you a leg up. To use it or to plan any trip, visit trimet.org.