Portland Transit | TriMet/Mass Transit News

[PacificNW]

I wonder if Tri-Met is exploring their options for eastside heavy/communter rail. The Union Pacific tracks run along the side of light rail and I-84. I could see a huge transit center with office/commerical/residential development out by Troutdale. 2 stops: Troutdale-Portland and returning Portland-Troutdale twice a day.

[pdxstreetcar]

I haven't heard anything about that route but there has been some talk about a commuter rail line from Milwaukie across the Willamette thru Lake Oswego to Tigard and connecting in with the Wash County Commuter Rail. also I've heard of even continuing that route all the way to McMinnville.

A few years ago there was a proposal for a commuter rail from North of Vancouver, WA thru Portland to Canby via Milwaukie and Oregon City but the proposed South Corridor MAX lines were found to be a better solution.

[pdxstreetcar]

Just a first version... its needs some work still like the UGB and darker lines

Portland Rail Transit Map (by Mode)

[MSPtoMKE]

Cool! Have you thought of including stations as well?

[pdxstreetcar]

yeah, i'll try to make a route map also

[PacificNW]

Regarding putting light rail on the downtown transit mall: I have checked out Tri-Mets site and plans BUT I have a question to ponder. First I, too, am concerned about the buses and trains interweaving throughout the length of 5th and 6th avenue's. Question: Was there ever a plan to narrow the sidewalks slightly and put 2 way traffic on both avenue's. Therefore the MAX tracks would be placed on the right for boarding and deboarding. The other lane would be heading in the other direction allowing the buses to do the same thing. Traffic would move quicker and more safely plus I think it would help the retail located on the ave's.

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by PacificNW

Regarding putting light rail on the downtown transit mall: I have checked out Tri-Mets site and plans BUT I have a question to ponder. First I, too, am concerned about the buses and trains interweaving throughout the length of 5th and 6th avenue's. Question: Was there ever a plan to narrow the sidewalks slightly and put 2 way traffic on both avenue's. Therefore the MAX tracks would be placed on the right for boarding and deboarding. The other lane would be heading in the other direction allowing the buses to do the same thing. Traffic would move quicker and more safely plus I think it would help the retail located on the ave's.

You mean MAX on one street, buses on the other?

[PacificNW]

Naw, each avenue would become two way...BUT I may like your idea even better.

[pdxstreetcar]

The latest issue of the Portland Tribune has this very topic of weaving rail lines and 4-5 travel modes sharing the narrow corridor...

Collision Course
Portland Tribune
Jan 13, 2005

[cab]

Forcing the Auto lane is causing the problems. Without it MAX could run on the Right, buses on the left, no problem. I hate to say it but this is going to be a major disaster for transit in the region.

[pdxtraveler]

The Tribune article is just another anti-downtown thing. They have to do another alignment for light rail. They can not run all the trains on the existing alignment, it is already full. So the logical alternative is the bus mall. Granted I would have preferred subway, but that was not on the list, they could never get that kind of money approved anyway.

Another reason for the bus mall rail is service to PSU, the single largest source of downtown transit trips. This article makes it sound like there is a general consensus against the bus mall rail within the downtown community, I don't think that is true.

I will say that I have raised my eyebrows over the weaving though.

[cab]

The business arguement for the extra lane is so shallow I wonder why Trimet bent over for it so quickly. Be interesting to see the cost diffence between the Autolane option vs non-auto lane option. I know for sure that the non-auto lane option would be visually more appealing and much more efficient for transit.

[MarkDaMan]

I found this really interesting!

Transit mall funding breakdown
Total Cost Approx. $163 million
$96 mil from the FTA
$17 mil from DT "local improvement" business tax
$10 mil from PDC
$ 6 mil from TriMet
$ 5 mil from Metro

TriMet did an awesome job with spreading the funding around IMO!

[pdxstreetcar]

actually i'm happy that they wrote about the concerns with the transit mall alignment, i found it to be a decent concern and not bias... i want people to really think about the alignment because i have been very concerned about it for some time, hopefully a rail expert will say that it will work out fine, i just hope there is some discussion to make sure it is the right alignment and wont hurt light rail in the long run.

i think the alternative would have been to keep the transit mall much like it is now but putting the light rail in the middle land which would have its stations where the auto lane would periodically end (where the existing widened sidewalks are), that way the buses would primarily use the right lane but have the option to use the middle light rail lane for overtaking.

[MarkDaMan]

i think the alternative would have been to keep the transit mall much like it is now but putting the light rail in the middle land which would have its stations where the auto lane would periodically end (where the existing widened sidewalks are), that way the buses would primarily use the right lane but have the option to use the middle light rail lane for overtaking.

That is exactly what I was thinking. If they are only going to have a stop every 4 blocks, why not three blocks of car lane, one block the car lane will be the MAX station. I don't think you can go further than 2 or 3 blocks currently on 5th or 6th so this would still be an improvement and keep the trains running a bit faster.

[pdxstreetcar]

^
and they wouldnt need to completely rebuild the entire mall

[Justin Stranzl]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I found this really interesting!

Transit mall funding breakdown
Total Cost Approx. $163 million
$96 mil from the FTA
$17 mil from DT "local improvement" business tax
$10 mil from PDC
$ 6 mil from TriMet
$ 5 mil from Metro

TriMet did an awesome job with spreading the funding around IMO!

But that only adds up to $134 million. That leaves $29 million unaccounted for.

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by pdxstreetcar

i want people to really think about the alignment because i have been very concerned about it for some time, hopefully a rail expert will say that it will work out fine, i just hope there is some discussion to make sure it is the right alignment and wont hurt light rail in the long run.

Hmm, maybe TriMet's SECRET PLAN is to create something so ridiculous (and accident-prone) that the public CRIES OUT for a subway! (Highly unlikely, I know - but we can dream, right?) Didn't Houston (!) finally decide to build their next line through downtown elevated, due to the high accident rate?

[pdxstreetcar]

over at portlandarchitecture.com there was a post by "Bob R." who attended the latest Portland Mall citizens advisory committee meeting and reported that they are looking to cut costs on the new mall including: fewer shelters at stations, traffic signals not suspended by steel arms but rather suspended by wires between buildings, eliminating brick, fewer ticket machines and eliminating the existing halprin designed bus shelters and replacing them with open sided shelters (in other words just a basic roof).

the more i hear about this "revitalized" mall the more i feel it will hurt downtown, light rail and TriMet. do it right or dont do it at all. this will not be an improvement over what we have but a defacement of what we have.

[MarkDaMan]

WOOOOOHOOOO BushCo didn't screw us! Does this mean we will see construction by this fall?

Metro rail projects hit funding fast track
Transit - The president's budget includes $393 million for an I-205 MAX line and a westside commuter rail
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
JAMES MAYER
The Oregonian

The federal government has approved a $557 million expansion of Portland's light rail south to Clackamas Town Center plus a spur down the transit mall to Portland State University.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta announced funding for five new transit projects nationwide Tuesday, two of which are in Oregon. The second is a $117 million Beaverton-to-Wilsonville commuter rail line in Washington County.

The federal government would pick up about 60 percent of the cost for the light-rail project and half of the commuter rail, with state and local governments picking up the rest.

The projects are not done deals, but they are close. The project funding needs congressional approval, which appears almost certain. And they must get through intense contract negotiations before construction begins.

"It is a very big deal, very exciting," said Olivia Clark, executive director of governmental affairs for TriMet.

President Bush's budget released Monday included $1.5 billion for transit projects, but gave no specifics. These were included in the report released Tuesday by Mineta. The other three new projects are in Denver, Dallas and Salt Lake City. The report also proposes money for existing projects in 25 other cities.

"As a nation choked with congestion, we must turn to transit as one way to make it easier and faster to get to work, relieve crowded roads, and keep our economy moving," Mineta said. "An investment in transit is an investment in fighting congestion."

The announcement is "very good news for the region," said Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, who leads a regional committee that makes transportation decisions. The announcement is particularly welcome, Burkholder said, in light of the administration's tepid enthusiasm for transit in the past.

"It's a very important landmark," said U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. "I think it represents the continuation of 30 years of work here."

Blumenauer, who has been a key rail booster for decades, said the region's success with rail has spawned a lot of competition among cities for federal money, even in places that once hated the idea.

"I've been in Houston and Denver and Salt Lake when light rail wasn't controversial; it was poisonous," he said. "Now, they are onboard."

Specifically for Oregon, the Federal Transit Administration will contribute $59 million for the $117 million Washington County commuter rail project, and $334 million for the $557 million I-205 light-rail line. In fiscal year 2007, the federal government would spend $27.6 million on the commuter rail and $80 million on the light-rail project.

Both projects are in the final design phase.

The 14.7-mile Washington County commuter rail would run on mostly existing freight tracks between Wilsonville and the Beaverton Transit Center. Self-propelled diesel cars would run every 30 minutes with five stops. Officials expect 3,000 riders a day.

Federal officials said the commuter rail project rose to the top because it serves a rapidly growing suburban area, connects to the existing light-rail system, enhances good land-use polices and has a strong financial plan.

The I-205 light-rail line connects to the existing MAX system in two places. The first is a 6.5-mile line that runs parallel to I-205, connecting Clackamas Town Center with the Gateway Transit Center. The second segment is a 1.8-mile extension which would begin at the Rose Quarter Transit Center and end at PSU. The line would run along the downtown bus mall on Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Clackamas County has waited a long time for light rail, and county Commissioner Bill Kennemer said it is badly needed.

"Increasingly, urban growth is going to be sent to Clackamas County because of the dynamics of land use in the area," Kennemer said.

"If we're going to begin to manage it, we need major transit coming in our direction. This is the first installment."

James Mayer: 503-294-4109; jimmayer@news.oregonian.com