Portland Transit | TriMet/Mass Transit News

[bvpcvm]

oh, but you didn't include the knuckle-dragging comments!!! here's just a taste of what passes for intelligence among tribune readers:

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

do they come with built in armed security?
"kill em all and let god sort em out"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:03 AM

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

I am tired of getting beaten up and robbed on the old style Max cars. If Im going to lie on the floor of a Max car while Im kicked and beaten by thugs, I want the floor to be clean and new, and I want that Sleek new Max car look. Thanks Trimet.
"portland zombie voter and partime crime victim"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:53 AM

[Sekkle]

^ I avoid reading comments after news articles if at all possible. I always feel a little stupider having read them. I learned that in Phoenix, where, on the AZ Republic’s website, pretty much every article that gets reader comments eventually devolves into idiotic ranting about illegal immigration, no matter what the subject of the article was. It does make me more appreciative of the generally intelligent commentary on a board like ssp, though.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

oh, but you didn't include the knuckle-dragging comments!!! here's just a taste of what passes for intelligence among tribune readers:

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

do they come with built in armed security?
"kill em all and let god sort em out"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:03 AM

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

I am tired of getting beaten up and robbed on the old style Max cars. If Im going to lie on the floor of a Max car while Im kicked and beaten by thugs, I want the floor to be clean and new, and I want that Sleek new Max car look. Thanks Trimet.
"portland zombie voter and partime crime victim"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:53 AM

Haha, oh guys.

Most of them live in Clackamas Co. and far SE Portland

[deasine]

Those look great!

[Sekkle]

Another pic from trimet's website...

[alexjon]

I don't really like it.

[joeplayer1989]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm View Post
oh, but you didn't include the knuckle-dragging comments!!! here's just a taste of what passes for intelligence among tribune readers:

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

do they come with built in armed security?
"kill em all and let god sort em out"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:03 AM

Re: New MAX cars give TriMet a sleek look

I am tired of getting beaten up and robbed on the old style Max cars. If Im going to lie on the floor of a Max car while Im kicked and beaten by thugs, I want the floor to be clean and new, and I want that Sleek new Max car look. Thanks Trimet.
"portland zombie voter and partime crime victim"

(Not verified)
Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 07:53 AM




must be the same people who listen to lars larson

[Sekkle]

Originally Posted by alexjon

I don't really like it.

well good thing you're up in Seattle. You can gawk at your Kinkisharyos while I watch these babies cruise by my back window.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by ForAteOh

well good thing you're up in Seattle. You can gawk at your Kinkisharyos while I watch these babies cruise by my back window.

4 car trains, baby! Aw yea!

[MightyAlweg]

I remember in September, 1986 when I rode MAX on the opening weekend when rides to Gresham were free. It was a huge deal back then. I think I've still got some of the pictures I took of that day somewhere.

Now Portland's light rail seems to have expanded greatly, particularly for a city of its size. Has anyone ever heard of any statistics of how many light rail miles Portland has versus other cities? It would seem to me that Portland must have some of the most miles of light rail in America, even compared to some of the bigger cities like Boston and San Fran that have older and more established light rail systems.

Anybody have an idea where Portland ranks nationally when it comes to light rail system miles once the Green line is completed?

[bvpcvm]

^^^ link

i'll bet that apta.com has stats as well

[MightyAlweg]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

^^^ link

i'll bet that apta.com has stats as well

Awesome. Thanks!

I'm very impressed with the Portland stats, even though it panned out pretty much like I figured. I've lived in Boston, and currently live halfway between LA and San Diego, and my hunch was Portland was right up there with the SoCal cities.

I imagine when these stats are updated in 18 months to take into account the increased ridership from the Green Line and new Yellow Line alignment down the mall that Portland will blow past Philadelphia easily, and would probably go beyond the LA ridership levels. (Although systems nationwide are increasing ridership as gas goes higher and higher).

Seriously impressive ridership and mileage numbers in Portland, even before the Green Line opens in '09.

[NJD]

A ray of hope for stable TriMet fares
In Congress, public transit is finally getting some respect, and money, as soaring fuel prices force commuters to turn to bus and rail lines
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Oregonian

I n the face of surging fuel prices, TriMet's plan to raise fares Sept. 1 makes perfect sense.

That's no consolation, however, for lower-income Oregonians who depend on buses and trains to get to and from work. A downtown hotel housekeeper who lives in Gresham or Hillsboro may ill-afford the $86 a month it will soon cost for a monthly all-zones TriMet pass.

Thus we applaud Oregon Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio for co-sponsoring the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act. It would provide $1.7 billion in grants over two years to help transit agencies pay increased fuel costs and keep down fares.

This much-needed bill passed Thursday with support also from Oregon's other two House Democrats, Reps. Darlene Hooley and David Wu. The bipartisan approval was overwhelming, 322-98, and the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., predicted easy passage in the Senate as well, despite White House opposition.

Disappointingly, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., was among the 98 House Republicans who voted against the legislation. That's too bad, because it would benefit transit systems in his congressional district, including Bend Area Transit and the Medford-based Rogue Valley Transportation District.

Under the bill, Oregon's smaller transit districts would share about $4 million while urban districts would split about $16 million, with most of that going to TriMet under the current rural/urban transit formula programs. The money wouldn't come soon enough to stave off TriMet's fare increase, but it could help the agency keep ticket prices stable for at least two more years.

Thursday's lopsided House vote signaled a spurt of overdue support in Congress for public transit, long regarded as less important than highway funding. Transit ridership is up 32 percent in the United States since 1995. In just the first quarter of this year, as fuel prices began to soar, ridership on light-rail lines rose 10 percent nationwide while vehicle miles traveled on roads dropped 2.3 percent.

This is a sea change, and it's pushing many transit systems past capacity. At rush hour in Portland, for example, the recent stampede for light rail has forced the drivers of jam-packed MAX trains to ask waiting passengers to wait for the next train.

This explains why the grants would also enable transit systems to expand service. For example, agencies could buy alternative-fuel buses and build parking facilities at the ends of subway and rail lines.

Some Republicans in the House ridiculed Oberstar's bill as a weak alternative to expanded domestic oil drilling. He responded with an observation he has made many times before.

"If just 10 percent of America's car trips were converted into trips by public transportation," he said, "we would no longer need the 500 million barrels of oil we import from Saudi Arabia every year."

It wouldn't hurt the fight against global warming, either.

[PacificNW]

Monday, June 30, 2008 - 1:44 PM PDT
Blumenauer legislation takes aim at auto travel
Portland Business Journal


U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer unveiled legislation Monday that would create federal grant programs to boost transit ridership, offer a tax credit for telecommuting, and increase benefits for home owners buying properties near mass transit.

The aim of the Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act is to provide transportation and housing options that reduce reliance on personal vehicles.

Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, outlined the proposal during a news conference from his Portland office. He was joined by officials from environmental groups and regional transportation planning authorities.

Among the proposals:

A grant program to support community investments in transportation alternatives, such as carpool projects, car-sharing programs and street upgrades for bicycles and pedestrians.
A public transit grant program to help transit agencies manage increasing fuel prices and demand.
A tax credit for qualified teleworking expenses for employers and employees.
Extending an existing Transportation Fringe Benefit to bicyclists and increasing it for public transit uses.
To require the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to incorporate transportation costs into housing affordability measures and standards. Also, it would require the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to develop a transportation costs model that real estate agents could use to disclose to home buyers.
Increasing access to location-efficient mortgages that increase a borrower's income by $1 for each dollar of transportation savings. The bill would establish annual goals for Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae for offering the mortgages


http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/...ml?jst=b_ln_hl
.

[zaphod]

How come it doesnt have the dark plexiglass facing and bumper piece?

None of these models delivered in any of the other cities(SD, Charlotte) look anything like the originals in Houston.

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by MightyAlweg

Awesome. Thanks!

I'm very impressed with the Portland stats,

just so you know, someone posted the same table on the transportation forum and it resulted in much flaming. didn't follow the discussion, so i'm not sure what the deal was, but the numbers may be debatable.

[rsbear]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

just so you know, someone posted the same table on the transportation forum and it resulted in much flaming. didn't follow the discussion, so i'm not sure what the deal was, but the numbers may be debatable.

I think the "debate" (a.k.a., my transportation system is bigger than your transportation system, and it will beat yours up) was over linked versus unlinked trips and the consistency, or inconsistency, in how they are reported.

[Sekkle]

Originally Posted by zaphod

How come it doesnt have the dark plexiglass facing and bumper piece?

None of these models delivered in any of the other cities(SD, Charlotte) look anything like the originals in Houston.

I don't know about the plexiglass. I've seen renderings with and without it. I assume that the photo shown above may not be the finished product and that the bumper may be added to it. Notice it also seems to be missing a pantograph. That's kind of an important part, too.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by ForAteOh

I don't know about the plexiglass. I've seen renderings with and without it. I assume that the photo shown above may not be the finished product and that the bumper may be added to it. Notice it also seems to be missing a pantograph. That's kind of an important part, too.

Nah, these run on liquid cool

[zilfondel]

^ They're going to pull it with horses.