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Posted Feb 28, 2009, 9:06 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,276
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Quote:
New MAX train greeted like rock star on Portland Mall
by Joseph Rose, The Oregonian
Saturday February 28, 2009, 10:43 AM
If MAX trains could be rock stars, the sleek and polished machine hissing south on Fifth Avenue this morning was U2.
It was as if people hadn't seen a light rail train before.
Cameras drawn, a mob of TriMet engineers, MAX operators and train buffs excitedly followed the new "Type 4" train at it made the first official practice run on downtown Portland's transit mall. A few couldn't help yelping with excitement: "Sweet!" "Looks good!" "Rolling!"
Even a couple surprised motorists and bicyclists braked to snap phone-cam photos of the train, which features a aerodynamic snub-nosed design that cuts a more 21st-century shape than the boxier old-school MAX trains. People walking out of storefronts and high rises stopped in their tracks to watch the future of light rail approaching with a white-hot headlight.
And locomotive fans went loco.
"One of the things that attracted me to Portland was its trains," said Brian Kindle, 21, a photographer and Southern California transplant who showed up downtown to watch TriMet train No. 98 make its debut. "This one's pretty cool."
Check out video and additional photos of the run at the Hard Drive commuting blog. Also, here's a handy-dandy interactive graphic, showing how traffic is expected to flow for trains, buses, cars and bicycles.
Also, new traffic rules go into effect along the mall on Monday.
Two years after construction began on the $220 million transit mall, Roger Andreassen, the MAX Green Line's project manager, said it was a relief.
Just a relief? Actually, he was trying to be cool. Andreassen was almost giddy, snapping photos and grinning from under his moustache as he jogged along with the train.
As it moved past City Hall toward Portland State University, someone noticed that the digital display in the front window read, "Gresham."
"Hey, Gary," an engineer shouted at the driver from the sidewalk, "can you change that to something on the Green Line, maybe PSU?"
Andreassen, who still has a heavy Norwegian accent years after he went to work for TriMet, chuckled. "There are some little things we're working out," he said.
The purpose of the 7:30 a.m.-to-1:30 p.m. run, he said, was to test everything from the power lines and tracks to signals and platform alignment. "Everything looks good so far," Andreassen said.
Traveling a little faster than walking speed, the train opened its doors at every stop, as if allowing ghost passengers to step off and board. Each time, the driver sounded a bell before starting up again.
The 22 new trains, which will run from the Portland State University to the Clackamas Town Center via the Interstate 205 section of the Green Line starting in September, are a slight variation of the Siemens "S70" light rail vehicles currently in operation in Houston, San Diego and Paris.
At roughly 191 feet, they're about seven feet longer than our older MAX vehicles. Each car has only one operator cab, so you'll always see two cars coupled together, TriMet said. Also, the "open" floor plan leaves more room for riders.
Some 6,000 pounds lighter, they're also they don't need as much electricity to operate, TriMet said.
Currently, TriMet plans to start regular test runs on the mall in May. But, Andreassen said, "it might be a little sooner."
Kindle said he plans to move next to the Green Line's I-205 tracks before September. Far from a potential nuisance, trains outside his home is a quality-of-life perk, much like a good park across the street, he said.
He praised the Type 4 trains for their state-of-the art design and what appears to be a smart new interior design.
Kindle said there's a lot to like about trains: The sound, the engineering, the history, the blur of scenery, the way different trains rock when they roll.
"I got my interest in trains from my dad," he said. "I've always had it. Frankly, I don't ever want to drive."
-- Joseph Rose; [email protected]
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http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/new_max_train_greeted_like_a_r.html
Ive seen several of these on test runs behind my house. Many of them have a blue dot (LED lights) and say "Special" (same as "Not in Service" I guess) but I have seen some with yellow LEDs that say "Expo Center," and one with green that said "6th Ave/PSU" or something like that. Still haven't seen any with passengers, though, so I'm still wondering when they'll go into service.
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