TriMet’s expanded agreement with the DA’s office holds criminals accountable while improving overall community safety

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Julian Samuels plays an important role in increasing safety for TriMet riders and employees. He’s one of two deputy DA’s now working to hold people accountable for crimes committed against TriMet riders, employees or property. As a regular TriMet rider, Deputy DA Samuels understands the value TriMet’s transit service provides in connecting people with jobs and services throughout our tri-county region—and he understands the need for it to be safe. Prosecuting criminals for acts they commit on TriMet’s transit system increases safety for everyone in the communities we serve.

Longstanding partnership expands

TriMet has a long-standing intergovernmental agreement with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office that dates back to February 1998. Since then, we have contracted with the DA’s office for the services of a single deputy district attorney to work with us to hold people responsible for crimes on our system. In August of this year, TriMet expanded that agreement with the DA’s office. In doing so, we now have a second deputy DA, Megan Irinaga, working on misdemeanor and minor felony cases for TriMet while Samuels, who has worked with TriMet since November 2022, focuses on major and minor felonies.

Dedicated prosecution unit includes deputy DAs and investigators

TriMet’s expanded agreement with the Multnomah County DA’s office also now provides for up to two investigators to assist the deputy DAs in compiling information on TriMet-related cases. This essentially creates a unit of district attorney personnel assigned to TriMet that will have a strong understanding of TriMet’s mission to provide transit service that is safe, convenient, reliable, accessible and welcoming to all. By being dedicated to TriMet cases, the deputy DAs and investigators develop a knowledge of TriMet Code, our rules for riding, as well as laws specific to transit. They work closely with our Transit Police Division, led by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office command staff, and TriMet security staff.

 “TriMet is dedicated to the safety of our riders and employees, and our partnership with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office enhances our daily security efforts,” TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Andrew Wilson said. “TriMet’s security staff and our Transit Police Division partners work together with the DA personnel assigned to TriMet to keep criminals off our transit system.”

“The new prosecutorial resources will help streamline and speed up investigations,” Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said, “while simultaneously freeing up Transit Police officers to focus more time in the community and helping to prevent future crimes.”

“TriMet safety is critical to our community, and my office’s partnership with TriMet supports our united goal of public safety—on our city’s transit system and in the wider community,” Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said. “These new resources, combined with our longstanding partnership, will help us prioritize the safety of our public transit system and all those who work to keep us moving.”

TriMet’s current agreement with Multnomah County is effective through June 30, 2025 at a cost of $2,080,119.

Expanding our agreement with the Multnomah County DA’s office is just one of the ways TriMet is working to increase safety and security. Learn more at trimet.org/security.  

While there will be no impact to transit riders, cyclists and others should plan for minor detours October 9–27

TriMet’s singularly iconic bridge and jewel of the Willamette River will soon undergo its first intensive examination of its cable system this month, a critical component in supporting the “cable-stayed” bridge. To accommodate the work, Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, will have intermittent closures of the north and south multi-use paths from Oct. 9 through Oct. 27.

The bike and pedestrian paths on both sides of the bridge will undergo alternating closures, always with one side open. For the safety of pedestrians and cyclists alike, bikes and e-scooters should not be ridden against the flow of traffic. Instead, they will be detoured to the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. Cyclists can also choose to walk their bikes across the bridge. Pedestrians will be able to cross using the open path. There will also be signs posted notifying people of the closed paths. There will be no impact to bus, MAX or Portland Streetcar service over the bridge.

The three-week project allows for the first in-depth inspection of Tilikum Crossing’s cable system. Inspectors will be looking for defects that go above and beyond simple wear and tear. To perform the work, they will need to use boom lifts and mobile elevated work platforms to get under, to the side of and above the bridge deck.

As the inspection may lead to minor adjustments for those on foot, bike or scooter, TriMet reminds them to continue using the marked crosswalks. They are located near the South Waterfront/SW Moody MAX Station on the west end or the OMSI/SE Water MAX Station on the east end of the bridge. We appreciate people’s patience as we perform this important work.

Maintaining the Bridge of the People

With cables radiating out of two towers and connecting at the deck, they function as supports for the bridge’s substructure, which spans 1,700 feet. The towers resist the tension in the cables and transfer the loads to the foundation. But this means that the cables and other bridge components, like the cable anchors, should be inspected over time to make sure they’re working properly.

October’s inspection will be the first to look solely at the cable system. After this, inspections of the cable system will take place every four years. They come in addition to the general inspections we conduct every two years in accordance with the Federal Highway Administration, the most recent of which happened in June.

The manufacturer, French engineering firm Freyssinet, will be performing the inspection with the assistance of TriMet’s Maintenance of Way team. This initial inspection is notable, as the Tilikum Crossing is the first bridge in the U.S. to use Freyssinet’s multi-tube saddle design for the cable system—making Tilikum Crossing unique to the U.S. not simply for being car free but also for its engineering. The special design allows each cable to run continuously from the deck, through the top of the tower and back down to the other side.

Inspections increase longevity

Inspections like this help us keep Tilikum Crossing safe. Opening in 2015 as part of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit project, the bridge was constructed to last at least 100 years with regular upkeep. That’s why general safety inspections are required on Tilikum Crossing and the adjacent Harbor Way structure every two years. Since the bridge opened in 2015, these inspections have taken place in June 2023, 2021, 2019 and 2017. Learn more about Tilikum Crossing.

A community event at the SE Park Ave MAX Station will give the public a first look at a new train

TriMet’s sleek, blue and brand new MAX trains are ready for their sneak-peek introduction to the public!

We are bringing one of our newest-generation MAX trains—what we call the “Type 6”—to the SE Park Ave MAX Station in Milwaukie on Sunday, Oct. 15. Between noon and 2 p.m., the train will be open for the general public to view and explore. This will be the first look at one of these trains, which we expect to roll out for regular MAX service by the end of the year.  

Come and join the fun! The celebration will feature food and drinks, tours, commemorative T-shirts and posters (while supplies last) and plenty of opportunities for photos and videos. We’ll also have representatives of TriMet’s Type 6 vehicle engineering team on site to answer questions about all the modern equipment that makes these trains our most technologically advanced yet!  

Since this spring, TriMet has been welcoming new Type 6 train cars into our Ruby Junction Rail Operations Facility in Gresham. They undergo extensive testing in the railyard before advancing to a break-in period on the main MAX system. The trains are required to travel thousands of miles before they can start carrying passengers. It’s a thorough process that often takes place in the few early morning hours when MAX is not in service, which ensures the trains are safe and reliable when they start to welcome riders.

‘Type 6’ technological advances

Initially, we plan on bringing on 26 new trains to replace our aging first-generation “Type 1” trains, which have been serving riders since our first MAX line opened in 1986! Four additional trains are also being purchased for A Better Red MAX Extension and Reliability Project, for a total of 30 new MAX trains added to our rail service.

The “Type 6” trains feature several new features to improve the riding experience and the trains’ performance. Some of the features riders will notice include:

• Operator cabs at both ends of the train car and room on board for 168 riders.
• New digital signs inside that will change to show the next MAX stop on the line.
• New LED lights indicating available doors for boarding and getting off trains. The lights will show green when a door is available, red when not available and flash yellow when the doors are in motion.
• Improved temperature controls to keep trains warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

‘Ta-ta, Type 1s!’

With the introduction  of TriMet’s newest MAX trains just a couple of months away, we will soon be saying goodbye to our first-generation trains, the “Type 1s.”  Introduced with the East Side MAX Project that created the MAX Blue Line, those 26 original trains have proven to be extremely durable over the years, thanks in large part to the work of TriMet’s maintenance team. Some will have traveled 2 million miles by the time they’re retired. That’s 80 times around the earth!

We will be preserving at least one of the trains for the Electric Railway Museum in Brooks, Ore. Most of the others will likely be recycled locally. We’re reusing whatever we can from the Type 1s, including their fluids, which we’ll be removing and using in train cars elsewhere in our fleet.

The first of our still-operational Type 1s will be retired later this month. The others will be taken out of service as we continue receiving and introducing into service our latest Type 6 trains. 

Go by transit!

Interested in checking out the first new MAX train in nearly a decade? TriMet has you covered. Head to our SE Park Ave MAX Station on Sunday, Oct. 15 between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. It’s conveniently located at the end of the MAX Orange Line, just south of Milwaukie.

Taking place near Downtown Milwaukie, the event will also be an opportunity to spend a crisp autumn day among the foliage, within a short distance of the Milwaukie Farmers’ Market. Bus lines 32 and 33 also serve stops within walking distance of the SE Park Ave MAX Station and Downtown Milwaukie. To plan a trip before you head out, go to trimet.org/planner. The SE Park Ave Park & Ride also has 401 parking spaces available.

Eight in-person and online events from Oct. 10-25 give riders an opportunity to review proposals, talk one-on-one with TriMet’s service planning team   

TriMet is laser-focused on rolling out our Forward Together Service Concept. It’s our roadmap to expand bus service by more than 30% as we redesign our bus network to bring more service to more people. We’ve put together a bundle of improvements and adjustments that we’d like to start putting in place as soon as August of 2024. But we need the community’s help to make sure the plan we put together will best serve the transportation needs of our region. Does it fulfill our goals to increase our ridership and improve connections for people with low and limited incomes who rely on transit to get to work, school and important appointments every day?

The changes we’re proposing in 2024-25 include two new Frequent Service bus lines, with buses arriving every 15 minutes for most of the day, every day. We’re also looking to improve service on nine additional lines, where buses will arrive more often, for more hours of the day, every day. We’re considering combining some lines to streamline service and adjusting routes and schedules to keep buses on time. The plan calls for two new bus lines and several route extensions. It also suggests discontinuing some low-ridership bus lines. Visit trimet.org/plan for details, maps and to provide feedback online.

Attend an open house!

In Person

• Tuesday, Oct. 10, 12-2 p.m., University of Oregon, Rooms 142/144, 70 NW Couch Street, Portland
• Tuesday, Oct. 17, 5-7 p.m., Rosewood Initiative, 14127 SE Stark Street, Portland
• Wednesday, Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m., Living Word Seventh-Day, 503 9th Street, Oregon City
• Thursday, Oct. 19, 5-7 p.m., Fairview City Hall, 1300 NE Village Street, Fairview
• Tuesday, Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m., Muslim Educational Trust, 10330 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Tigard

Information will be available in multiple languages, and some open houses will have representatives on-site who speak languages other than English.

Virtual

• Wednesday, Oct. 11, 5-7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 21, 12- 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct 25, 5-7 p.m.

Visit trimet.org/plan for Zoom links and additional information to participate in virtual events. Please contact TriMet Customer Service at 503-238-RIDE (7433) for interpretation.

What’s next?

TriMet will collect comments and suggestions about the proposals through Oct. 31, 2023. We will review what we hear from the community and make adjustments based on your feedback before taking the revised proposals back to the public for another round of outreach early next year. Our Board of Directors will vote on the 2024-2025 service plan next spring. Riders could see the first changes in August of 2024. Meanwhile, we are continuing to adopt plans from our first major rollout of Forward Together improvements, which began in August of this year and will continue through early 2024. 

Maintenance service workers play an important role in keeping our buses, trains, buildings and grounds in top-notch condition for our valued customers and employees

Looking for a job with room to grow? Come join TriMet as a Maintenance Service Worker! Maintenance Service Workers are responsible for keeping our buses, trains, stops, shelters, buildings and other facilities clean and comfortable for the benefit of our riders and employees. This is an entry-level position, with a starting pay of $20.91 per hour. It’s a foot in the door to a lifetime of opportunities at TriMet. Stay in the position and earn regular, guaranteed pay raises every six months to $30.27 per hour. Or, use the job as a stepping stone to future possibilities, including training programs and apprenticeships to help you gain experience to be a mechanic or technician. Approximately 44% of TriMet employees promoted to supervisory roles within the Maintenance Division got their start as service workers.

Come to our Maintenance Service Worker Hiring Event!

We’re expanding service and welcoming more riders back to the transit system daily. But with many Maintenance Service Workers growing into new positions at TriMet in the last year, we need new employees to fill these important roles. We’re holding a special Maintenance Service Worker hiring event on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and we want to see you there! 

TriMet Hiring Event at DoubleTree Lloyd Center

1000 NE Multnomah Blvd. – Portland

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Mark your calendar! It’s easy to steer your career in a new direction with TriMet when you attend our Maintenance Service Worker Hiring Event.

• Get ready: Complete the application to become a Maintenance Service Worker. Visit trimet.org/careers or fill one out when you arrive at the hiring event.
• Get set: Our hiring managers want to talk with you! They will be conducting interviews for the position on the spot.
• Go: Qualified candidates will receive a conditional job offer and information on the next steps to become a TriMet employee.
• Please bring an ID, resume and any additional documentation that will help streamline the hiring process. 

Maintenance Service Workers clean buses and trains, inside and out, and keep our vehicles fueled. They check fluids and perform other duties such as cleaning MAX station platforms, to ensure a safe, clean and comfortable environment for riders and employees across our entire transit system. 

Candidates must hold or be able to obtain a Class B Commercial Driver’s License. However, we will consider your application even if you do not yet have the license or permit. In addition, applicants for the position should be able to provide:

• A complete 5-year (if applicable) work history, with the reasons you left previous employers.
• Out-of-state DMV record if you have held a license outside of Oregon in the past 10 years.

TriMet’s maintenance operations run 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Maintenance Service Workers must be able to work any shift, at any of our bus garages and rail yards, which are located in Beaverton, Gresham and Portland. Schedules are based on seniority, and most newly hired Maintenance Service Workers will be assigned to graveyard shifts. Maintenance Service Workers must also be able to report to work in all types of weather.

Join our team!

TriMet keeps the Portland metro region moving. We’ve been providing safe, reliable transit options for our tri-county region for more than 50 years. Our work is steady, reliable and going places. Join our team, and come along for the ride. Visit trimet.org/careers to learn more.

The 18-mile extension of MAX Blue Line from Downtown Portland to Hillsboro reaches its 25th anniversary on Sept. 12

The first public riders to make a MAX Blue Line trip all the way from Gresham to Hillsboro did so on a warm Saturday in September. It was 1998— 12 years after the first stretch of the Blue Line opened, which linked Downtown Portland to Gresham. Construction of the new 18-mile Westside extension had proven to be its own massive undertaking, lasting for more than five years at an overall cost of $963 million. After all that time waiting, following a robust period of public outreach, September 12, 1998, was its own momentous and long-awaited occasion.

As TriMet reaches the 25th anniversary of the grand opening of the Westside MAX Blue Line Extension, we look back and celebrate a project that has helped relieve congestion, develop communities and improve the quality of life for people across our region, for the past quarter century. 

For Washington County, the impacts have been monumental.

“To me, the 25th anniversary is really a special milestone. I’ve been able to see… how valuable the Westside expansion of MAX has been to our individual lives as well as our collective community lives,” Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington said. “It enabled Downtown Beaverton to further develop, as well as Hillsboro—and not just downtown Hillsboro. In order for us to seek federal funding for the Westside MAX, we had to show that we were offering more housing.”

“Extending MAX west to Washington County was the fulfillment of a promise TriMet and local leaders had made decades before, and it set an example for expansions of the MAX system that would come later,” TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said. “Over the past 25 years, we have been committed to building and maintaining the most efficient and reliable light rail system possible, taking cars off the road, helping people reach their destinations and supporting the growth of the community.”

Planning pays off

To start at the beginning, you have to go back to 1979.

Superman was the top-grossing movie, “My Sharona” topped the music charts and 60 Minutes—yes, a televised news magazine—was the highest-rated television program. It was also the year the seeds were planted for a light rail line to Washington County.

Originally, there had been some discussions for the first MAX line to follow the Sunset Highway west, but instead, funds from the defunct Mount Hood Freeway were transferred to a package of regional transportation priorities that included the Banfield light rail project. That first MAX line was completed in 1986. But once done, there was little time to wait for the next move. It was westward-ho, with planning for the Westside extension kicking off in 1988. Then, in November 1990, voters approved Ballot Measure 26-1 by a 3-1 vote, allowing the issuance of bonds to help pay for the project.

During the project’s planning phase, community members had an opportunity to weigh in. TriMet has made community engagement a cornerstone of all major service decisions to give residents an opportunity to share their voices and learn more about our projects. As a resident, Washington County Chair Harrington said she attended several of the neighborhood association meetings that occurred to discuss the planning of Westside stations, including Willow Creek and Sunset Transit Center.

Looking back on the project now, she’s proud that it accomplished what planners said it would.

“It has really unlocked a lot of potential,” Harrington said. “It has exceeded people’s (initial) vision. People want to know how future MAX lines will build on the community, with walking and biking access and improved transportation all throughout the area.”

Challenges and solutions underground

The Westside MAX Blue Line Extension’s biggest construction challenge was more than 16 million years old. Rock—metric tons of it—mainly volcanic basalt, had been lying dormant since the Miocene era. But this basalt wasn’t alone. Also underground were soft silt deposits that were scattered sporadically, making the earth under the West Hills an inconsistent mix of brittle, mushy and hard—the geological equivalent of baklava.

Before digging could commence, engineers had to gather as much information as they could about what to expect. TriMet spent years researching and engineering the Westside tunnel, with geologists drilling 25 test holes up to 300 feet down to sample soil, rock and ground water. These holes, and the bounty of information they produced, acted as the engineers’ eyes, allowing them to produce maps of an underground world no one had ever seen. With this information, engineers chose to give the tunnel curves, allowing miners the best digging conditions possible.

It would take 18 months of blasting and boring to punch three miles through the hillside. Later came construction of the Washington Park MAX Station. It would come to feature art displays referencing the geological history of the location. The main display, running the length of a wall on the eastbound platform, remains a site of interest 25 years later. It’s a long transparent tube containing a core sample. On the wall, the various geological eras are etched, allowing riders to walk along and track the progression of time.

The station would become, and still remains, the deepest subway tunnel in North America. Care and thought were also given to the surface-level plaza, connecting to the Washington Park Zoo, World Forestry Center and Hoyt Arboretum 260 feet above—the equivalent of going to the top of the Umpqua Bank Plaza.

Twenty-five years after opening, what are now the Robertson Tunnel and Washington Park MAX Station continue to be modern-day marvels, where a marriage of engineering and artistry come together to help people travel efficiently and in style.

Building boom, boon to economy

In preparing for the Westside MAX Extension, planners chose an alignment that would take trains past undeveloped parcels—most notably in Washington County, but in Portland as well. The end result was the project being a catalyst for $825 million in residential and commercial development. Prominent developments that sprung up include Orenco Station, one of the high-density, mixed-use developments that began planning in conjunction with the Westside MAX Blue Line Extension. It was in addition to the “The Round,” a civic plaza built around Beaverton Central, Centerpointe, apartments near Beaverton Creek and Stadium Station apartments, near Goose Hollow.  

The Westside MAX Blue Line Extension created a more direct and attractive connection between two major employment centers: Downtown Portland on one end of the line; the Silicon Forest on the other. Today, MAX Blue Line serves more riders than any other MAX line, providing around 30,000 trips every weekday. And because it covers an extensive 33 miles, between the heart of Gresham and  Downtown Hillsboro, the line also covers more ground for riders than any other bus or MAX line, with about 176,000 passenger miles made every day. It’s one of many examples of how decades of forward-thinking and planning are paying off for tens of thousands of riders a quarter century later!

MAX extension continues with Better Red

The lessons of the past are being applied today.

The MAX Red Line was built just a few years after the Westside MAX Blue Line Extension, completed in 2001. It fulfilled another longstanding promise, this time to bring light rail to Portland International Airport, part of regional master planning that started in the 1980s. Now, more than two decades after opening, TriMet is working on improvements to the line to make it more efficient—and to provide improved service to riders between Portland and Washington County. The project will extend the Red Line 10 stations west, from Beaverton Transit Center to Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport.

It’s also adding another track and additional infrastructure near Gateway Transit Center and Portland International Airport to improve train movement and keep trains moving throughout the MAX system. TriMet is doing this to continue meeting the growing demands of the region and foster even better connections among our riders.

A multi-year project scheduled to complete next year and fully open to the public in fall 2024, A Better Red is now about 70% completed. For more information on the project, visit trimet.org/betterred.

While levels of drugs detected in University of Washington’s first-of-its kind study of air and surfaces on transit described as “extremely low,” TriMet urges regional crackdown on public drug use    

TriMet values the health and well-being of riders and employees, and that’s why we have been working to keep the rampant use of illicit drugs in our community off our buses and trains. In the past two years, our general manager and other leadership have testified before Oregon lawmakers, city councilors and county commissioners asking state and regional leaders to address drugs and crime before they extend onto our transit system.

We also:

• Significantly increased security personnel for more on-board presence,
• Updated the TriMet Code to address illicit drugs however we can,
• Updated standard procedures for when someone is seen smoking drugs on board,
• And now we’ve taken part in a first-of-its kind study of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the air and on surfaces of transit vehicles. 

Today, the University of Washington released the results of that study, which included testing on some TriMet MAX trains. The study did not assess the health impacts on our riders and operators from the traces found in air and surfaces samples, so TriMet sought the expertise of health experts. Among them, Dr. Robert Hendrickson, a professor of emergency medicine and medical toxicologist at OHSU and the Medical Director of the Oregon Poison Center.

“The concentration of drugs detected in the air and on surfaces in this study were extremely low and would not cause harm to TriMet riders and operators,” Hendrickson said. “There is no threat to the public related to these study results, and individuals who use public transportation for travel needs should continue to feel safe doing so.”

Read the full public health assessment

Despite the low levels of drug residue found in the University of Washington research, TriMet wants to keep drugs off our transit system completely. But Oregon law poses challenges for keeping the smoking of fentanyl and meth out of public spaces, such as transit.

TriMet and our union, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 757, continue our call to state and local officials and lawmakers to deliver the policy changes and enforcement necessary to curb what has become an epidemic of rampant public consumption of drugs in our region.

“Our riders, operators and other employees deserve to use our system without being exposed to drug use,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr.  “More needs to be done to ensure that transit and other public spaces are safe and comfortable for everyone.”

Desue stressed, “TriMet stands ready to be part of the solution to this region-wide drug epidemic, but we urge state and local leaders and our law enforcement partners to continue to address drugs and addiction in our community.” 

In addition to collecting air and surface samples on transit, UW researchers tested three Downtown Portland locations*. Three of the samples tested positive for very low levels of meth and none tested positive for fentanyl, yet the challenges of the public consumption of drug use are well known in the communities we serve.
* SW 10th Ave & SW Harvey Milk St, SW Taylor St & SW Broadway, SW 9th Ave & SW Alder St St.

Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids have increased by 533% in Multnomah County alone from 2018 to 2022. In June 2023, Dr. Teresa Everson, M.P.H, interim Multnomah County Health Officer, told the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners that the region is in “an unprecedented time with fentanyl” and that the sharp upswing in overdose deaths, “reflects the rapid and radical change in local drug supplies towards fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids, which began in 2019.”

While the UW study looked at illicit drug residue levels specifically, smoking of any substance—whether nicotine or drugs— is not allowed on TriMet. That includes inside our buses and trains, on rail platforms, at transit centers or in elevators and Park & Rides. Those caught smoking face a citation and fine of up to $175 or exclusion. If riders see someone smoking drugs on board, they should alert the operator immediately.

UW study on secondhand drug smoke on transit

With the use of illegal use of fentanyl skyrocketing across the U.S. and here in the Pacific Northwest, TriMet joined four transit agencies in Washington State in inviting researchers from University of Washington’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences to come on board to determine what level of drug residue could be detected.

“The transit agencies share rising concerns about illegal substance use and untreated behavioral health conditions that are common in their communities and throughout the nation. The agencies proactively commissioned this study to identify what levels of drug smoke and surface residue transit employees and riders might encounter on transit vehicles, with a goal of helping to identify responses. The agencies join in thanking the University of Washington’s research team for its work to execute the study.”

– Joint statement from Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, Everett Transit and TriMet 

Overall findings

Researchers placed air pumps on board and collected surface samples from seats, windows and doors in *30 transit buses and train cars across four of the agencies. In total, 180 samples (78 air samples and 102 surface samples) were collected.
*This represents 1% of the 2,743 transit vehicles operated by the agencies.

The measurements found may be challenging to comprehend as they are small and abstract. A microgram is a millionth of a gram and one-thousandth of a milligram. A nanogram is one-billionth of a gram, one-millionth of a milligram and one-thousandth of a microgram. Some liken a microgram to a single cell in the human body. Or, consider a grain of sand. While the size of a grain of sand can vary, generally a grain of sand weighs approximately 23 micrograms. Another comparison could be a crystal of sugar. A single fine sugar crystal in those little packets you find at restaurants generally is about 20 milligrams. That’s 20 million times larger than one nanogram and 20,000 times larger than a microgram

Extremely low levels of fentanyl were detected in 25% of the air samples. Extremely low levels of fentanyl also were detected in 46% of the surface samples, ranging from one-hundredth of a nanogram to under a nanogram.

UW researchers also tested the 180 samples taken on the transit agencies’ buses and trains for remnants of methamphetamine. All the air samples tested positive for very low levels of meth and 98% of the surface samples found very low levels of meth as well.

Read the UW study report

TriMet findings

In Portland, on TriMet, researchers collected samples on MAX trains. They gathered the air and surface samples from *eight two-car trains and one single-car train over a two-day period (June 20-21) between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. The trains traveled through areas where we’ve had incidents of drug smoking reported.
*Correction: Previous version incorrectly state ten two-car trains and one single car train. Samples were taken on 17 of TriMet’s 142 train cars or 12% of our light rail vehicles.

The air samples were collected by pumps installed on the ceiling of the train cars, just inside the door to the operator cab and on the outside of the door, in the passenger area. Surface samples were mainly taken on the outside of the operator cab door, in the passenger area, as well as on seats/dividers in the middle of the trains and in the bench seating at the back of the vehicles. Overall, very low levels of fentanyl, meth and cocaine were detected in the air (less than two-tenths of a microgram) and on surfaces (less than two and a half nanograms). A few samples were also tested for cocaine. As with the positive fentanyl and meth results, the level of cocaine found was very low as well.

TriMet Air Samples  – 16 Total

Drug type	Operator side of cab door	Passenger side of cab door
Fentanyl	3 positive samples	3 positive samples
	0.005-0.077 μg/m3	0.005-0.14 μg/m3
Meth	8 positive samples	8 positive samples
	0.011-0.024 μg/m3	0.011-0.039 μg/m3
Cocaine		1 positive sample
	N/A	0.144 µg/m3

TriMet Surface Samples  – 26 Total

Drug type	Passenger side of cab door	Mid train car	Rear of train	Front seatback
Fentanyl	3 positive samples	2 positive sample	7 positive samples	1 positive sample
	0.015, 0.13 ng/cm2	0.014 ng/cm2	0.022-0.17 ng/cm2	0.117 ng/cm2
Meth	8 positive samples	8 positive samples	9 positive samples	1 positive sample
	0.035-0.93 ng/cm2	0.081-1.32 ng/cm2	0.020-2.23 ng/cm2	0.79 ng/cm2
Cocaine*	2 positive samples	2 positive samples	2 positive samples	N/A
	0.018-0.024 ng/cm2	0.011-0.02 ng/cm2	0.011-0.88 ng/cm2	N/A

Public health experts assess findings

TriMet asked Dr. Hendrickson, as well as Multnomah County Public Health officers, to analyze the findings and help us understand them. 

These health experts said the study results aren’t surprising: If someone smokes on transit or comes on board after smoking drugs with the residue clinging to their clothes, then that residue can be detected on board. However, the experts determined that the concentrations found in this study are so low that they would not pose a threat to the health of our riders, operators and other employees and that people should continue to feel safe riding.

“Unfortunately, whenever drugs are being used or handled in a community, very small amounts of drug will be detectable with today’s laboratory technology”, said Hendrickson. “For example, small amounts of cocaine can be found on the surface of paper money.” 

The UW study took air samples over a 4-5 hour period on MAX Green and Orange/Yellow Line trains. The testing did not determine how long fentanyl or meth may linger in the air, and it did not evaluate ventilation systems or filters. But for those who have longer rides and our operators who are on trains for hours, Hendrickson says the amount of fentanyl in the air samples is thousands of times lower than a dose that would be used to treat pain in a hospital.  He also noted that the highest concentration of meth found in air samples was extremely low—0.039 micrograms—which is just 78-thousandths of the medical dose for treating ADHD (5000 micrograms).

Fentanyl fueling national epidemic

Nationally, health and drug enforcement experts say illicit fentanyl is primarily responsible for fueling the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States. While illicit fentanyl clearly poses a risk for those who abuse it, health experts say secondhand or third hand exposure does not.

Among published information about fentanyl dangers:

• Studies have looked at fentanyl concentrations in the bloodstream after someone has had secondhand fentanyl exposure from smoke. The levels are extremely low or not detectable. So, there’s no real risk for the everyday person being exposed to secondhand opioid smoke. – Dr. Scott Phillips, Medical Toxicologist and Medical Director of the Washington Poison Center; Public Health Insider, April 2022
• Illicit fentanyl cannot be absorbed through the skin or by touching an item or surface where it is present.  – Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
• Fentanyl must enter the system through the mucus membrane or the bloodstream. It
  is not a volatile drug, so when it is left undisturbed, it can’t cause harm. It cannot
  enter through the skin, only through ingestion. – Denver Public Health and Environment

Also, TriMet received 61 workers compensation claims between February 2021 and June 2023, in which employees immediately sought medical treatment after concerns of exposure to secondhand drug smoke. While it was up to emergency room doctors to determine whether toxicology/blood tests were warranted, no tests completed ever came back positive for drugs.

Combatting drug use on board

“We saw this wave of fentanyl and meth use rolling through our community, and we took action,” said TriMet Chief Safety Officer Andrew Wilson. “We have taken a number of steps to try to keep drug use off our buses and trains, and we won’t stop. It will be a continuous effort.” 

TriMet has doubled the number of personnel on our security teams since the start of 2022, to increase presence on board. Our security teams will inform anyone seen smoking on board that it is not allowed and supervisors and/or police will be contacted if the person refuses to leave or stop smoking. Our Customer Safety Supervisors enforce TriMet Code, including issuing citations or exclusions for smoking. A year ago, we had 18 Customer Safety Supervisors; today, we have 46.

In addition to increasing security personnel, we changed the TriMet Code in early 2022, to include non-criminal violations of laws or ordinances as actions prohibited on TriMet. Since possessing a small amount of drugs and drug use are now categorized as a violation under Oregon law (ORS Chapter 153), by prohibiting violations of those activities, security personnel can further address the behavior, with a citation or exclusion.

TriMet has added a Safety Response Team, which has now expanded to 58 personnel. Team members connect people in need on and around our transit system with social services such as shelters, mental health resources and addiction services.

In recent years, TriMet has updated our standard operating procedures. Workers focused on cleaning our vehicles wipe down touch points each night, before the bus or train goes into service the next day. We also have procedures to address smoke when it is reported on board. We upgraded the filters in our buses and trains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HVAC system on our fixed-route buses uses a MERV-12 rated filter and our FX articulated buses use a MERV-13 filter. Our MAX trains use the highest level of filter possible for their HVAC systems, a MERV-10. All the air in the MAX car passes through the HVAC unit about every 74 seconds. The frequent opening and closing of bus and train doors provides additional ventilation. While on-board air is recycled, the fresh air from opening and closing doors and from windows, as well as the air passing through the ventilation filters, helps to clean it.

See something. Say something

TriMet has long had signs and announcements that if you see something suspicious, say something to an operator, other TriMet employee or police. The same is true for riders if they see someone smoking on board. Please alert the operator, whether or not you know they are smoking drugs. Smoking of any kind is prohibited on TriMet. If you are on MAX, you can go to the other end of the train car to use the intercom to talk to the operator. Or, if time allows, you can go to the other car of the train and use the intercom.

TriMet and health experts also urge people to continue practicing good hand hygiene. While handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer became common during the pandemic, it is good practice to always wash your hands after being in public spaces and touching items that others may have touched.

With data now showing trips on FX are faster, the Institute of Transportation Engineers honors TriMet and partner agencies with special recognition

With the one-year anniversary of TriMet FX® – Frequent Express – fast approaching, an important aspect of the service has come into focus: FX buses are more efficient, thanks in large part to next-generation transit-signal priority. The cloud-based system, which uses artificial intelligence to give buses more green lights and fewer reds, is among the latest advancements TriMet has made to improve travel time, reliability and the overall customer experience.

Experts nationwide are taking notice of the benefits of this first-of-its-kind system as well. 

A new study commissioned by the Federal Highway Administration affirms that TriMet’s next-generation transit signal priority system speeds up buses by making changes to signal timing. The system’s algorithm adapts signals to give buses an edge as they approach intersections.

TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) conducted the study with the oversight of Kittelson & Associates, a Portland-based transportation engineering, planning and research firm. The study was performed in late May by running through different scenarios after the system had been turned off, then comparing those to when the system was turned back on.  

Part of the Division Transit Project, which laid the groundwork for our FX—Frequent Express–service, the next-generation transit signal priority system was implemented specifically for FX2-Division buses, which run between Downtown Portland and Gresham. While the new system is not part of the FX2-Division’s downtown segment, which also serves other bus lines, it does operate at 57 signals along Division Street, covering roughly 11 miles, the majority of the 15-mile route. When added up across a one-way trip, the new system reduces the time buses would spend waiting at those 57 intersections, between Southeast 11th Avenue and Cleveland Avenue in Gresham, by around four minutes.

With the system proving itself to be more flexible and reliable than previous versions of transit-signal priority, which rely on line-of-sight emitters and receivers, it’s gained attention and major recognition from transportation engineers from across the country. Four agencies and one consulting company involved in the Division Transit Project received the 2023 Transportation Achievement Award in the Transportation Systems Management & Operations category at this year’s Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting, which was held this August in Portland.

Award winning transit engineering

Presented in five categories, the Transportation Achievement Awards recognize excellence in the advancement of transportation to meet human needs. In its recognition, the Institute of Transportation Engineers said the Division Transit Project leveraged “the most advanced signal technology available to deliver better buses to residents living along one of the region’s most diverse—and historically, most dangerous—arterial corridors.” Also involved in the Division Transit Project were PBOT, the City of Gresham, the Oregon Department of Transportation and engineering consultants DKS Associates.

The project was designed to increase bus reliability and performance. It does so by improving transit capacity and efficiency, with next-generation transit-signal priority aided further by longer buses with room for 60% more riders. There are now bus-only lanes at some intersections, which give buses green lights first ahead of all other vehicles. The project also brought elevated bus stations to the route, with level boarding at multiple doors for briefer stops, along with onboard bike storage and stations located where rider demand is greatest.

Based on the early success of FX2-Division, our first FX line that celebrates its one-year anniversary on Sept. 18, we look forward to pursuing ways to further improve it in the future.

A smarter, better-connected transit system

The new transit-signal priority system benefits from all the information TriMet collects as part of daily operations. On a given day, we can collect as many as 500,000 stop and event data records through our automatic vehicle location and passenger counter systems, which help the new transit-signal priority system to become smarter.

Increasingly, information informs decisions that TriMet and our partners make to speed up service. Data used to better understand overall traffic patterns helps in deciding the locations of Rose Lanes, for example. TriMet also works to make more information available to our riders. In early 2022, TriMet introduced our retooled website, with several new features, including real-time vehicle tracking, that improve our riders’ trip-planning capabilities. Also, at our Transit Centers and bus stops, we have installed ePaper digital displays, which provide transit information to more locations than ever before.

For more information about FX2-Division and all the ways it’s working to speed up service, go to trimet.org/fx.

TriMet’s Tilikum Crossing, Washington Park MAX station serve up wonder while speeding up transit

They are some of the region’s most spectacular architectural landmarks, and they can’t be reached by car. TriMet’s Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People and the underground Washington Park MAX Station are awesome achievements in transportation that were built to be experienced by transit. These brilliant structures are more than beautiful, they are integral parts of our regional transit system. They are where form meets function, giving buses, trains and the people who ride them an advantage–a faster, more reliable ride, with a one-of-a-kind view. 

We are moving another bus line to the car-free Tilikum Crossing as part of the Forward Together Service Improvements that go into effect Sunday, Aug. 27. In the meantime, we’re continuing progress on “A Better Red,” a project that benefits from the dedicated right-of-way of the Robertson Tunnel. The tunnel was created as part of the Westside MAX Project, which extended MAX Blue Line west of Downtown Portland to Beaverton and Hillsboro. MAX Red Line trains would later share the track. Today, both lines serve the Washington Park MAX Station–-the deepest transit station in North America. 

Tilikum Crossing improves transit service

Take TriMet to experience the towering light and splendor of the Tilikum Crossing, a first-of-its-kind crossing of the Willamette, accessible only by transit, by bike, mobility device or foot. Completed in 2015 as part of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project, Tilikum Crossing was the first bridge of its kind in the United States. The four-pier, cable-stayed-type bridge rises 78 feet above the Willamette River, with twin towers that soar another 180 feet into the sky! The bridge opened as the first new span across the Willamette since the Fremont Bridge in 1973. 

TriMet will move Line 19-Woodstock/Glisan to the Tilikum Crossing as part of Forward Together, to help avoid delays caused by traffic congestion on the neighboring Ross Island Bridge. And that’s not all. We’re improving service so that Line 19 buses arrive every 30 minutes for more hours of the day, every day. And, we’re adjusting the route in Southeast Portland through the Eastmoreland neighborhood. Buses will no longer travel on Southeast Rex Street or 32nd Avenue, to speed up travel time.

The changes coming to Line 19 are part of the first large package of updates that TriMet will roll out with Forward Together, a sweeping overhaul of transit service that we took on coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward Together is focused on equity and will make it easier for more people to connect with opportunities throughout the region. It moves some service from areas with low ridership and higher incomes to those where there are more people with lower incomes, who rely on transit to connect with opportunities throughout our region.

Additional improvements include upgrading Line 54-Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway to Frequent Service and adding buses on lines 8, 15, 35, 43, 56, 44, 70, 75 and 94 to increase the hours of day, frequency and days of the week when our service is convenient, robust and reliable.

The Forward Together plan moves buses to where they’re most needed and most likely to be used. As a result, we are reallocating some of our services. We are discontinuing lines 61, 64, 65, 66 and 68 due to low ridership. The limited, commuter-hours service will be replaced by improvements on lines 43, 54 and 56 and the current service on lines 8, 9 and MAX. Line 36-South Shore will also be retired due to very low use.

About 30% of our bus lines will see some sort of change with this package of improvements, and we ask all riders to visit trimet.org and plan a trip for Aug. 27 or later, to see how to adjust their travel after the changes take effect. 

A Better Red work continues

We’re rolling out Forward Together as A Better Red—our MAX Red Line extension and reliability project continues. Less than two months remain in our ongoing, 126-day disruption required for the current phase of the project. The work includes the replacement of the Portland Airport MAX Station and the installation of a second track along the alignment between the airport and Gateway Transit Center. During the project, shuttles are serving MAX stations between PDX and Gateway, running about every 15 minutes throughout most of the day. 

When the work is completed in 2024, the MAX Red Line will extend to 10 additional stations into Hillsboro. The entire MAX system will benefit from the track improvements, resulting in more reliable light rail service across the region.

Transit tunnel moves MAX trains past traffic

MAX Blue and Red lines benefit from another architectural wonder: the Washington Park MAX Station. At 260 feet underground, it’s the deepest transit station in North America, sitting some 90 feet further below ground than any station in New York City’s famed subway system. 

Located within Portland’s West Hills, the station serves as a gateway to Washington Park and some of the region’s most beloved treasures, including the Oregon Zoo. It’s a one-of-a-kind stop along our 60-mile light rail system. Because of its underground location, the Washington Park MAX Station stays a cool 50-55 degrees year-round. Riders coming in from a warm day relish the rush of cool air as trains arrive after traveling 55 miles per hour through the underground tube. A geological timeline—created from a drilling core sample—runs along the platform, highlighting historical milestones. The walls of the tunnel are awash with colorful vinyl panels that capture the natural beauty of the Washington Park experience. 

Experienced best by transit

Like Tilikum Crossing, the Washington Park MAX Station was built to support the region’s transit system. These architectural wonders make riding faster and more convenient by giving transit vehicles opportunities to move past traffic, maintain speed and avoid delays. Each was a first of its kind–the Tilikum Crossing, as the nation’s longest car-free bridge and the Washington Park MAX station, the nation’s deepest. And neither can be experienced by car. TriMet invites you to take in the awe the next you ride. Visit trimet.org and plan a trip.