Portland, OR: LRT is so cost-ineffective, unable to operate at promised frequencies
- Reality Check
-
- May 28, 2012
New analysis from the Cascade Policy Institute highlights a long‑running pattern of failure in Portland’s MAX light‑rail system: despite billions invested, transit operator TriMet has repeatedly failed to operate the service frequencies it promised to riders and federal funders:
The original Eastside MAX (Blue Line) was supposed to run every 5 minutes; today it only runs every 8 — 60% worse than promised.[1]
The Interstate MAX (Yellow Line) was promised at 10‑minute intervals but operates every 15 — 50% below commitments.[2]
The MAX Green Line opened in 2009 running 33% below expectations from day one.[3]
These chronic shortfalls actually violate federal requirements in the U.S. stipulating that agencies must operate funded projects at promised levels for at least 20 years. These are findings that matter for Surrey, where LRT advocates often cite Portland as a model—even though the system’s real‑world performance tells a very different story.
Why Portland's MAX LRT Can’t Deliver: At‑Grade Constraints and High Operating Costs
Unfortunately, the underlying issue is structural: because MAX is a mostly at‑grade LRT system, its design imposes various limits that TriMet cannot overcome without funds and higher ridership. Key constraints include:
- Driver‑manned trains, increasing operating costs.
- Street‑level speed limits, making travel times uncompetitive.
- Reliability problems from traffic interference and at‑grade conflicts.
- Lower fare revenue than projected, due to ridership not meeting projections.
The result is a system that struggles financially. In 2011, MAX recovered only 45.2% of its total system costs from fares [4], contributing to a system‑wide recovery rate of just 27.8%. By contrast, our SkyTrain—fully grade‑separated and automated—recovers 100% of its operating costs by farebox, and our TransLink system‑wide operating cost recovery (including buses) is above 52%[5]—nearly twice that of Portland’s.
SkyTrain is a better model for Surrey
If Portland’s MAX is the model for Surrey’s proposed LRT, the implications are clear. Since the 2009 recession, Portland’s TriMet has cut transit services more than 4 times, including by abandoning its 15‑minute “frequent service” standard[6]. Modelling our future rapid transit system after Portland’s LRT is effectively chasing a future of financial unsustainability.
In the same period, TransLink expanded both SkyTrain and bus service at minimal cost thanks to SkyTrain’s driverless operation.[7][8].
Footnotes
- “At the time the Blue Line was being planned, TriMet promised that trains from Gateway to downtown Portland would run every five minutes during peak periods. Today, the actual frequency is every 8 minutes.” — Cascade Policy Institute 2012[↩]
- “For the Yellow Line to North Portland, TriMet promised 10-minute service intervals for peak periods… Peak-hour service on the Yellow Line currently operates at 15-minute headways.” — Cascade Policy Institute 2012[↩]
- “Green Line service has been at least 33% below FFGA requirements since day one.” — Cascade Policy Institute 2012[↩]
- See: TriMet 2011 service and ridership information[↩]
- TransLink — 2011 year-end financial and performance report p. 15/55[↩]
- Portland: Counting by 17 — Human Transit Blog[↩]
- New SkyTrain cars were introduced in 2009-2010, doubling the length of most trains, which is reflected in TransLink’s reporting as a 20% increase in SkyTrain service hours. TransLink 2011 p. 54-55[↩]
- Overall service hours for both SkyTrain and buses increased between 2009 and 2010 in anticipation of the Olympics, and these increased levels were maintained in 2011. TransLink 2011 p. 15/55[↩]
Pictured in header: A Green Line MAX LRT train arrives at Gateway Transit Center 4 minutes early—or is it 11 minutes late?
Reality Check
Reality Check is the online blog run by the founder of SkyTrain for Surrey, a BC-based community organization that has advocated for the expansion of the Vancouer SkyTrain system, including our successful advocacy for the under-construction Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension.
Media Contact: Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey ・ Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]
