Summer of Anniversaries in Portalnd

For transit people in the Portland, Oregon area it has been a big summer of anniversaries.

Just a couple of days ago on the 1st, TriMet celebrated 25 years since the opening of its first light rail line, MAX that traveled from the eastern suburb of Gresham to downtown Portland with a fleet of 26 Bombardier light rail vehicles which I still ride at least a few times a week.

Earlier this summer TriMet celebrated another MAX anniversary with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Red Line to the airport. At the same time the Portland Streetcar celebrated its 10th anniversary with free rides for the weekend.

This year also saw ground breaking on TriMet's next light rail line which will travel to Milwaukee.

While the system continues to have its detractors like any light rail system or transit system for that matter, MAX has become part of the fabric of the community.