Benefit grants active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and reserves greater access to jobs, educational opportunities, health care and services, at a fraction of the cost

TriMet is expanding our Honored Citizen fare program to honor active and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces in a lasting salute to their courage and sacrifice. We’re rolling out this new, reduced-fare military benefit on the day before Veterans Day is observed, but it extends well beyond a single day of recognition. Granting Honored Citizen fare to members of the military who have valiantly served this country is year-round recognition of their heroism and sacrifice.

With Honored Citizen fare, those who currently serve or have been honorably discharged from the military can ride TriMet buses and trains for half price. Frequent riders save even more. TriMet’s Hop Fastpass® system guarantees that riders with Honored Citizen fare pay no more than $28 per month for unlimited rides on TriMet. That’s a 72% savings off the cost of an Adult month pass, which is $100.

With this announcement, TriMet became the first large transit agency in the country to offer a reduced fare for both veterans and active duty military. 

“As a veteran of the U.S. Army and a proud American, this is personal to me,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “With this program expansion, TriMet will give active duty military and veterans recognition and respect, and we will improve their opportunities to access health care, educational services and jobs by providing rides at a reduced cost. I can think of no greater way for TriMet to honor the people who have valiantly served this country.”

TriMet’s Board of Directors adopted an ordinance at their October meeting that expands the Honored Citizen Program to include veterans and current members of the military. Their action came just six months after Vietnam-era Air Force veteran Dale Thaler first went before the Board to propose the change during the public hearing portion of its April meeting. He gave passionate testimony before the board again, when they began considering the ordinance in September. 

“For me, Honored Citizen status isn’t about the cost to ride. I don’t expect a free ride, and I’m not asking for one,” said Thaler. “It’s about giving the recognition, the respect and the gratitude to those who are willing to make sacrifices to allow every American the opportunities and unparalleled freedoms that we enjoy.”

How to sign up and start saving

TriMet’s Honored Citizen reduced fare program is open to riders based on age, disability, income level or military status. All participants must provide proof of eligibility to receive their personalized Honored Citizen fare card. Veterans, reservists and active duty military members must complete an application and provide any of the following information to the TriMet Customer Support Center in Pioneer Courthouse Square.

• CAC card for active duty military
• Uniformed Services ID card or driver’s license with veteran classification
• Copy of DD214 Certificate of Release/Discharged from Active Duty and photo ID

Members of the military will receive their initial Honored Citizen fare card free of charge. Cards will be valid for five years. Once loaded with value, the card must be tapped to a Hop reader with every ride to activate cost savings.

Committed to equity

As a public transportation agency, TriMet serves a broad and diverse community, and we are committed to equity and inclusion. Our values are rooted in ensuring all riders have fair and equal access to transit services. All are welcome on our transit system. Learn more at trimet.org/equity.

Activities to take place at Washington Park MAX Station, will help better prepare the region for potential emergency events

TriMet and public safety partners will be conducting a full-scale emergency response exercise on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Activities will involve at least 225 people from more than 20 agencies and emergency management partners. The drill will better prepare our region, first responders and TriMet personnel for the potential of threats against the transit system. The exercise will take place at our Washington Park MAX Station—both at the station’s surface-level plaza and some 260 feet below on the platforms in the Robertson Tunnel. This will require disrupting MAX Blue and Red lines for the day. 

Scenarios to test and increase regional preparedness

The regional, full-scale exercise will involve fire, medical and police personnel, as well as TriMet staff. It will include two simulated events: an active attacker and a hazardous materials incident. 

The drill is funded through a Transit Security Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those grants are awarded to agencies “to protect critical transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from terrorism and to increase transportation infrastructure resilience.”

“There is no known threat to TriMet’s system, but it is vital that we as a public transit provider and our regional first responders remain vigilant and prepared for a coordinated response in the event that ever changes,” TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Andrew Wilson said. “We appreciate our riders for their understanding about the disruption to our service for the day, as this exercise is an important part of our comprehensive safety and security efforts and preparedness.”

Washington Park Station closed, MAX Blue and Red lines disrupted

The Washington Park MAX Station will be closed and off limits to the public on Sunday, Nov. 5, and MAX Blue and Red lines will be disrupted for the entire service day. This will allow crews to prepare for and conduct the exercise, then clear personnel and equipment and prepare for the return of regular MAX service on Monday, Nov. 6. Shuttle buses will provide service between Sunset Transit Center and Providence Park stations. MAX Red Line trains will run only between Gateway Transit Center and Portland International Airport. Trains and shuttle buses will run on regular Sunday frequency—every 15 minutes. 

If riding MAX Blue or Red lines on Sunday, plan an extra 15 to 30 minutes for trips through the disrupted area. Consider using bus lines 20-Burnside/Stark and 58-Canyon Rd to avoid the disruption. If heading to PDX, use Blue or Green Line trains to reach Gateway Transit Center and transfer to Red Line trains. Plan and track rides at trimet.org.  

Tunnel exercise required by FTA

The Federal Transit Administration requires transit agencies to conduct emergency exercises related to critical tunnel infrastructure such as TriMet’s Robertson Tunnel through the West Hills. The tunnel consists of twin, three-mile tunnels spanning between Multnomah and Washington counties. Elevators take people some 260 feet between the surface level at Washington Park and the platforms below, making it the deepest transit station in North America and the fifth deepest in the world. MAX operations through the tunnel began in September 1998, when the MAX Blue Line extension between Downtown Portland and Hillsboro opened. 

Emergency response exercise participants

This is TriMet’s first full-scale drill in the Robertson Tunnel since 2014. In addition to TriMet staff, personnel from the following agencies are involved: American Medical Response (AMR), Dikason Medical Services, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Gresham Fire Department, Gresham Police Department, Kaiser Permanente, Multnomah County Emergency Medical Services, Multnomah County Health Department, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, NW Oregon Health Preparedness Organization, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Oregon Health Authority (OHA), OHA Health Security Preparedness and Response, Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), Portland Fire & Rescue, Portland Police Bureau, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency (WCCCA), Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Department of Health, SenseMakers LLC.

Construction activities to make way for hollywoodHUB, a community-centered, mixed-use, transit-oriented development with affordable housing, neighborhood-gathering space and modernized transit facilities

Big changes are coming to TriMet’s Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave Transit Center in Northeast Portland. Construction has begun on a series of projects that will transform the transit center into affordable homes, bustling retail and community-gathering spaces – all just feet from TriMet buses and trains.

Turning underused land into homes, community space

In the coming years, what had been nearly 35,000 square feet of underutilized land will become the site of hollywoodHUB, a mixed-use building and community space, with some 224 permanently affordable apartments. The former dead-end portion of Northeast 42nd Avenue will become a new public walkway, featuring a redesigned connection to the Hollywood MAX station.

For TriMet, the project represents an opportunity to fully realize the potential of an underutilized site. The Hollywood Transit Center opened in 1986 as part of the original 15-mile MAX line between Gresham and Downtown Portland. Changes over the past 37 years, including the city’s need for more affordable housing, spurred a closer look at the site as a new home for transit-oriented development and modernized transit facilities.

Temporary tribute mural being removed

To make way for the hollywoodHUB, TriMet’s must first demolish the existing ramp and stairs. A temporary, accessible structure will be installed to maintain access to and from the MAX station before TriMet creates a new, permanent ramp later in the construction. This does mean removing the tribute mural that has graced the walls of the ramp structure since 2018.

The “We Choose Love” mural, designed by artist Sa’rah Farahat, was commissioned as a temporary tribute following the devastating attack on a MAX train pulling into the Hollywood Transit Center on May 26, 2017. Ricky Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche were killed and Micah Fletcher was seriously hurt after coming to the defense of two teenagers targeted by an individual spewing hate.

A spontaneous outpouring of emotion, support and community filled the walls of the ramp structure in the weeks after. People shared expressions of grief and gratitude in colorful chalk. That was inspiration for the design of Farahat’s temporary mural that weaved together color, text and images across nearly 2,000 feet of wall space at the Hollywood Transit Center.

“I remain committed to the words that were written, spoken and made into action by citizens of Portland who demand safety and love for all,” artist Sar’ah Farahat said. “To you who visited We Choose Love as a way to mourn and spread care, may the words sprout like seeds in your heart. Now is your time to bloom.”

While the memorial was intended to be temporary, it will be reflected in the design of the final development. The vivid colors and calls for peace will be incorporated into the permanent ramp and walkway area as a long-lasting remembrance of that tragic day and the outpouring of love and community.

Bringing permanently affordable homes to the heart of Hollywood

The entire hollywoodHUB development project is a partnership between TriMet, developer BRIDGE Housing, and resident services provider Impact NW*.
Service provider has been updated.

Funding for the affordable housing element comes from many sources, reflecting the building’s size and its large number of units. Most notably, Portland Housing Bureau and Metro pooled resources to provide $31.95 million of affordable housing bond funding, sourced from the Portland Housing Bureau’s 2016 and Metro’s 2018 bond programs. With the combined resources of both bond programs supporting it, hollywoodHUB has received the largest funding award ever issued for an affordable housing project in Portland, an indication of the scale and impact of this project and the urgent need for affordable housing across the region.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, TriMet and partners took part in an official groundbreaking to begin TriMet’s ramp demolition and construction work. That will be followed, in the summer of 2024, by the first phases of constructing the hollywoodHUB development.

“This project extends beyond mere transit infrastructure. It encompasses TriMet’s commitment to making our region one of the world’s most inclusive, sustainable and livable places,” TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said. “We’re revitalizing this transit center into homes and community space seamlessly linked to TriMet’s bus and MAX service and other shared mobility options.”

“BRIDGE Housing congratulates our partners at TriMet on reaching this important milestone for the hollywoodHub, laying the foundation for an inclusive, equitable, transit-oriented community in alignment with our commitment to fostering vibrant and accessible neighborhoods,” President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing Ken Lombard said. “Today’s celebration reflects the power of our collective will to meaningfully address the housing crisis. While much work lies ahead, we’re proud to partner with this stellar team to help meet the needs of working families in the City of Portland.”

“We believe transit and housing are key elements to maintaining a healthy society,” Metro Councilor Mary Nolan said. “This project is an example of all of us working together to take care of one another. Providing families with a stable place to live, grow and thrive is essential in building stronger communities.”

“We are thrilled to be working closely with TriMet on this development,” Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio said. “In just a few short years, hundreds of low-income Portlanders will call the hollywoodHUB home and will be able to take advantage of fantastic transit access to get to work, school and play. Thank you to the voters of Portland for supporting the Housing Bond measures that made this project possible.”

The hollywoodHUB will bring 224 new units of affordable housing within steps of TriMet’s buses and trains. Overall, 151 of the homes will be at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while 71 units will be at or below 30% AMI, including 55 homes with rental assistance vouchers ensuring residents only pay 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Impact NW will serve as the resident services provider, ensuring inclusive supportive services to building residents.

According to data from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the region is about 90,000 housing units short of meeting the needs of people living at or below poverty. In 2018, voters approved Metro’s $652.7 million bond program, which earmarks money for permanent affordable housing projects across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.

Housing solutions through transit-oriented development

Once completed in 2026, the project will serve as another example of transit-oriented development in action. Such projects maximize density while creating walkable neighborhoods near transit, relieving congestion, increasing the supply of affordable housing and community resources. TriMet is not a developer, but we work with local partners or third parties to create better purposes for our underutilized properties, such as the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave Transit Center. Other recent examples include the new East County Library, under construction on the old site of TriMet’s Gresham City Hall Park & Ride, and the Fuller Station Apartments. Completed and opened for residents at the end of 2021, the Fuller Station development features 100 apartments for families and individuals who earn between 30% and 60% of the area median income.

For more information about TriMet’s Transit-Oriented Development program, visit trimet.org/tod.

Inclusive collaboration in Hollywood Transit Center transformation

TriMet and BRIDGE Housing share ambitious goals for disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE), minority-owned, women-owned, service disabled veterans business enterprises and emerging small businesses (ESB) participation in project design and construction. TriMet’s prime contractor for the Hollywood Transit Center Project is Raimore Construction, a federal and Oregon certified MBE & ESB, with minorities comprising more than 80% of its staff, including all supervisory and management personnel. BRIDGE Housing has brought on O’Neill-Walsh Community Builders to construct the hollywoodHUB. The general contractor is 49% minority owned.

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.