May 1, 2009

Light rail operator training begins on Portland Mall

Training begins May 4 on new tracks on 5th and 6th avenues

TriMet MAX light rail operators will begin training on the new Portland Mall beginning Monday, May 4. Trains will travel the length of the new tracks on 5th and 6th avenues between Union Station and Portland State University.

All 163 MAX operators, along with rail supervisors, systems controllers and others will participate in training that will familiarize them with the new light rail systems and signals, as well as the general traffic environment.

Trains will begin at the South Terminus and travel north along 6th Avenue to Union Station and then travel along 5th Avenue to Portland State University. Trains will operate May 4 through June 27 (except the week of May 24, when buses move from 3rd and 4th avenues and return to the Mall). Monday through Saturday, there will be seven round trips along the Mall, with one trip late morning, and then six more between 1 and 4 p.m. Once a week, training will shift to noon to 8 p.m. Each loop of the Portland Mall takes about 25 minutes. During training, no riders will be allowed on board.

Buses back on the Mall May 24

All bus service will move from 3rd and 4th avenues on Sunday, May 24, and will return to the Portland Mall. Lines 10-Harold and 14-Hawthorne will loop across the Mall on Main and Madison. Schedules will also change.