Skidmore Fountain MAX Station

Speeding Up MAX Through Downtown

We are considering closing the Skidmore Fountain MAX Station.

As TriMet works to continuously improve our service and make MAX light rail more efficient, we are moving forward on closing the Skidmore Fountain MAX Station.

The station was among four proposed for closure to speed up MAX service through Downtown Portland. TriMet closed the Kings Hill/SW Salmon, Mall/SW 4th Ave, and Mall/SW 5th Ave in 2020. As a result, it’s faster to ride MAX through Downtown Portland. Closing the Skidmore Fountain MAX Station would save more time.

Proposed MAX Station Closure map

Map showing a ¼-mile radius around Skidmore Fountain MAX Station.

Skidmore Fountain MAX Station

The Skidmore Fountain MAX Station is located under the west end of the Burnside Bridge. Like the previously closed stations, the station sits very close to two other stations along the MAX Blue and Red lines: Old Town/Chinatown, about two blocks (~500 feet) north, and Oak/SW 1st Ave, about four blocks south. With these nearby stations also serving MAX Blue and Red Line riders, closing the Skidmore Fountain MAX Station would help speed up trips and make the ride better. We currently see fewer people getting on or off MAX at Skidmore Fountain than at nearly any other Blue and Red line station in Downtown Portland.

TriMet postponed the proposed closure of the station following discussions with the community in 2018 and 2019. Since then, we’ve kept close track of ridership at that station, as well as plans for additional investment and/or development nearby. With no improvement, we propose closing the station in the second half of 2025, if the TriMet Board approves.

If approved by the TriMet Board, the station could close in late summer of 2025.