Portland’s Public Transit in 2024
Hi humans and welcome to another travel blog post! Today I am going to be showing you what it’s like to ride the Portland Public Transit systems in 2024, I am going to be showing you the MAX, the Streetcars, the Buses, and even the unique Aerial Tram!
Transit Information:
Dates: February 15th & 16th 2024
Transit Types: MAX Light Rail, Streetcar, Trimet Buses
Transit Lines: Blue, Yellow, Orange, NS Streetcar, FX Bus, & Aerial Tram
Rolling Stock: MAX Train Types 1,2,3,4, & 5
So let’s begin with a quick overview! My 2-day trip to Portland happened over Presidents Day weekend so I had plenty of time to explore the city and ride all the amazing Public Transit Portland is very well known for. In my time I rode tons of MAX Trains a few streetcars, an aerial tram, and the bus! So let’s begin with a bit of background info, most of the transit in Portland is operated by TriMet, which is the company that operates the MAX and the Buses, there’s also the Streetcar operated by the city, but most of the review is focused on Trimet services, taking a look at their service map they basically reach everywhere, from the Airport to all the suburbs, and of course, downtown, TriMet’s bus, and MAX services go everywhere, there are 5 MAX lines with 97 stations and the system and the buses fill in all the gap’s there is also the FX BRT but we will get into that later, the first part of this review will show the MAX or Metropolitan Area Express, then I will show you the streetcar the buses and the Aerial Tram, enjoy everyone!
A detailed map of TriMet’s Rail service, along with the PDX Streetcar
Let’s start with the Portland MAX’s stations, first off there are plenty like I said 96 to be exact, and there is a huge variety of them. Stations downtown are simple and are just wide enough to fit in a single block, and the stations outside the city are huge and very spacious they kind of resemble commuter rail stations rather than Light Rail, The basics to expect though are some benches under a roof and a sign displaying information with a ticket machine, overall it is fine, but I think the amenities could be improved a bit more. The stations I visited during my stay were Pioneer Square, Galleria/Library SW 9/10th, Providence Park, Goose Hollow SW Jefferson, Washington Park, South Waterfront S Moody, Yamhill District, and Rose Quarter Transit Center. My favorite of all of them is Washington Park, it also happens to be the only underground station in the system and it is the deepest station in the western hemisphere, I just loved the architecture and the unique design, a close second though is Pioneer Square, this is because you can transfer to all the MAX Lines and it is a fun place to hang out when it is not raining or during winter, overall the stations are just fine!
A look at some of the Stations I visited during my rides on the MAX
Now that we have looked at the stations let’s talk about the rolling stock on the MAX Light Rail, the types 1, 2, and 3 were built by Bombardier, and the newer types 4 and 5 were built by Siemens. There are also new trains on the way, the type 6s which will be replacing the old type 1s with a step leading up to the seating area, overall it is a fine rolling stock with its ups and downs, but over time I have really seen the type 1, 2, and 3s be run down, nowadays it seems like you are hoping to be on type 4 or 5 with more new seats and technology, in the end though I do love the rolling stock I just wish that the older trains were in a bit of better shape.
Pictures of the rolling stock operated by the MAX, btw type 2 & 3 are the exact same!
Since we have now looked at the outside of the trains, let’s take a look at the inside! First off the type 1s are the oldest trains which means they have a big step when you board, this quickly became a problem because they were not ADA accessible, so over a bit of time it was regulated that only 1 type 1 could be on a 2 car train although these trains are being retired with the introduction to the new type 6 it is still fun to ride on them, the type 2 and 3 are basically the same, they have an old but charming interior with a cool seating layout! Types 4 and 5 are basically the same except they are newer and the type 4 has a dome seating area on its train which gives a bigger space! In the end though if I were you I would hope for the newer trains since they provide a smoother ride.
Another look at the interior of Portland MAX Trains
Since your MAX ride is now complete, let’s take a look at the Portland Streetcar network! If you look back at the Map from earlier you can see the Streetcar takes you all around the more underserved areas of Portland like Nob Hill or the Waterfront, overall the system is great the trains are comfy and super fun to ride, but my 2 downsides are the terrible frequencies and slow speeds, yes they do run in the streets, but they stop a lot and it takes forever, also since the trains come almost every 20 minutes it makes the streetcar more of an attraction rather than a mode of Transportation, I rode the streetcar in PDX and it was fun but I could have been way quicker, it is an amazing system, my 1 tip for it might just be to remove some stops to speed up trains!
A look at some NorthSouth Line Streetcars around Portland!
Now because the Streetcar doesn’t go many places you might need to find alternative transport and Buses do the job really well in Portland, once again operated by TriMet the buses in Portland are clean spacious, and somehow decently quick and frequent! I did ride 1 bus in Portland, overall it was a great experience, mostly because it felt safer than the train, but either way, the bus system in PDX is pretty good, there are countless amounts of lines, & the amazing FX Divison BRT with signal priority, overall buses are great in Portland, but from a visitors view you should not need to take them very often, I just wish they complemented the MAX better.
A look at some of the Buses I saw during my trip in Portland
Although you may think that those are the only ways to get around Portland, there is one weirder than the rest, the fun Aerial Tram located at the south waterfront, the Tram is used as a way for patients and workers to get up to OHSU and the rest of the hospitals located on Marquam Hill, it’s a super fun attraction and now it is more of a fun activity rather than transportation, it does not matter though since you will always have a fun time on board, the views the car moving and swaying makes it super fun to do.
Some pictures of and on the Aerial Tram in Portland
Now to wrap things up there is 1 last thing I want to talk about and it’s Safety, although nobody wants to admit it Portland is not at all a safe city, in my 2 days there I witnessed Drug Deals, People getting Arrested, and multiple Overdoses and crimes. Some of the events listed even happened on trains! In my opinion, out of the options for Transit, the MAX is the least safe like the rest of Portland you can not put your head down, there are too many crazy people who out of nowhere could attack you, so you need to be alert, for the other options they felt much better, although there may be homeless on the buses and streetcars, they are much safer than some of the people who are riding MAX, to be honest if you are a slightly concerned person about your safety I would not ride the MAX although I did it, you should not remember the cameraman never dies! But because the MAX isn’t safe it does not mean the rest of the options are not, IMHO the Streetcars were the most pleasant option and if I had to recommend a way to see Portland safely by transit it would be that. My tips though if you are going, make sure to be alert and always watch your surroundings, never put your head down, and if you see something crazy just walk away! So yeah on that unpleasant note, I guess this is the end of the blog post, thank you for reading and I will see you in the next one, bye humans!