TriMet’s new lines and nicer trains

Commuters will now enjoy larger windows, a smoother ride and wider reaching service. Portland’s Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is adding lines to its service and the trains have been upgraded for the first time since service began in 1982.

The inaugural ride of the first Type 4, $3.5 million train took place on Thursday, Aug. 6, and was ridden by TriMet employees, members of the press, city officials and local mayors to the last stop on the Blue Line in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro.

“Anything that TriMet does to attract ridership and to provide a more comfortable ride is a great thing. It’s really a system now and not just random lines,” said Washington County commissioner Dick Schouten. “Every time an addition or improvement is made, it’s added value.”

The new train cars contain four additional seats, providing a total of 136 seats per two-car train, more standing room, easier wheelchair access and a rearview camera system for train operators.

The cameras have sensors that switch the view from color to black and white in low-light situations to offer increased visibility at night, according to a TriMet press release.

Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc. manufactured the new train cars in the United States, whereas the older trains were manufactured in other countries like the Czech Republic.

The new trains also feature a new interior color scheme of light blue and yellow, differing from the brown and orange colors in the old trains.

“It’s much brighter in here. The windows are larger and the ends of the cars used to be closed up but now they are completely open,” said Hillsboro City Manager Sarah Jo Chaplen about the bay windows at the end of every car, which were walled-off compartments in the older trains.

The cars have new braking systems, which allow the trains to switch from dynamic braking to friction braking at only 0.5 miles per hour rather than at 3 mph, the point at which the brakes switch on the older trains.

The new braking system allows the process of pulling into stops to be much smoother, said Assistant Manager of TriMet Field Operations Dan Stokes, who is also a 1978 graduate of Portland State.

“The cars are lighter, use less energy and there is more room because the cars are 7 feet longer. All around, they are very nice,” Stokes said.

The new MAX Green Line opened Sept. 12, adding 8.3 miles of light rail between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center, and the Fifth and Sixth avenues downtown between Union Station and PSU. Once this new line is open, a total of 22 of the TriMet trains in operation will be the new Type 4 models.