Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
MAX GOES DOWN
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
NORTH TERMINAL FLOODED


PORTLAND, Ore. - A large water main ruptured in northwest Portland on Thursday, forcing the closure of a portion of Northwest Hoyt Street.
The water main broke under Northwest Hoyt Street between Northwest 3rd and 4th Avenues, spilling a significant amount of water onto the roadway.
Portland Water Bureau crews quickly shut the main down and closed the immediate area due to the amount of standing water.
Two buildings are without water service - a TriMet Operator Building and a vacant USPS building.
The cause of the rupture has not yet been determined.
For further updates, check the Portland Water Bureau's Water Blog.
STEVE BANTA EXPLAINS CRUTCHES AND COMMENTS ON THE OPERATOR REPORT
>it is true that many reports were just left behind, but one report could end up being read by numerous people as they were left in buses or in break rooms<
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
TRIMET BOARD OF USELESS BODIES WIMPS OUT AGAIN
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

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| Tualatin Times |
Tualatin Times - Portland,OR,USA
TriMet is taking the threat of snow seriously, chaining up 20 buses and dispatching four "ice-cutter" MAX trains to keep the train's overhead electric lines ...
Roads jammed as snow falls and sticks
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
So can transit commuters: TriMet has 20 buses chained up and ready to be dispatched to cover Mt. Tabor, Mt. Scott and the West Hills, as needed. ...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
SAM SHOOTS/SAM SCORES/ OREGONIAN HAS THE BALL
City Commissioner Randy Leonard says the embattled mayor left a message for him Sunday morning. -- The Oregonian
Read the update
THE STICKY DETAILS! oh boy....the porno pictures should be coming!
The former legislative intern at the center of the controversy involving Portland Mayor Sam Adams says Adams kissed him twice when he was 17 and that their relationship had "crossed the line" toward romance earlier than Adams has acknowledged. -- The Oregonian
Read the update
MAX CRASH
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
STEVE BANTA
I have two important announcements to make regarding changes in the Operations division. Tony Bryant and Bruce Miller have decided to retire from TriMet. I want to thank them for their outstanding commitment to the agency and for their excellent service to their community. Their impacts on TriMet are notable, and I would like to take a moment to remind you of some of their impressive achievements.
Tony began working with TriMet in 1973 as a cleaner. During his 35 ½ years here he worked as a helper, a mechanic, a training manager, a garage manager and finally as the director of bus maintenance. Among his many accomplishments includes leading the agency towards new bus technologies for reducing fuel emissions and increasing fuel economy. Because of Tony’s willingness to seek out and test new bus technologies, TriMet is an innovative and respected leader for its environmental stewardship. TriMet’s mean distance between road calls on the bus fleet increased dramatically under Tony’s direction, to numbers that other transit agencies do envy.
Bruce began working at TriMet in 1975 as a mechanic helper. During his almost-34 years of employment here, Bruce had many achievements, including: his commitment to implementing and providing leadership in the Productivity Improvement Process, development of the preventative maintenance program, creation of the bus apprenticeship program, and recently his excellent work mentoring the members of the Operations Leadership Development Program. Bruce worked in a variety of departments during his tenure, including Bus Maintenance, Rail Maintenance and Transportation Training, and was closely involved in the successful opening of three MAX extensions.
from our General Manager, we are facing significant budget challenges in the coming year. With this in mind, I will be combining the bus and rail maintenance departments under one director, who will work closely with me to ensure that we are looking at the maintenance of our vehicles and MOW systems as a unified, total transit system.
Until this position is filled, I will work directly with Mark Grove, Dan Blair and Roland Henson to oversee the activities of the Rail Maintenance Department. I will also work directly with Tom Nielson, Mike Grove, Bob Johnson and Greg Haley to oversee bus maintenance activities.
Thank you for your continued support.
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NEW TRANSIT MALL GUIDE
TriMet promises that downtown Portland's new transit mall will mean a better commute for bus and light-rail riders.
But with daily changes on Fifth and Sixth avenues, including test runs in freshly striped bus lanes, there's no lack of confusion. Is it OK to drive on the MAX tracks? What's up with those new signals? Where's the best place to get information?
This handy-dandy graphic and map should help. As a bonus, we offer five things every commuter should know to prepare for the $220 million transit mall's opening in September:
Most intersections on Fifth and Sixth will no longer allow right turns because they would cross new light-rail tracks and bus lanes. But signal-controlled right turns will be allowed at Fifth and Jackson, Sixth and Harrison and Sixth and Irving. Vehicles will be able to turn left every other block.
MAX signals are about to go live. The upper horizontal bar tells the train to stop or stay at a station. The lower vertical bar means go. When a train has the right of way at an intersection, a regular red light will hold back bus and car traffic.
Tracks and bus lanes eventually will be off-limits to cars. Left-hand traffic lanes are for motorists, delivery trucks, taxis and cyclists. Buses are allowed in left lanes when necessary (to get around a stopped MAX train, for example). So be prepared to share the road.
The city is in the process of removing parking spots placed on the mall during construction, which began in January 2007. All but a few short-term metered spaces will be gone by March 2 and possibly earlier, since cyclists have started to raise safety concerns about parked cars giving them little room to ride.
Go to portlandmall.org to learn more. To see a computer-animated movie of how the mall will look and work, visit The Oregonian's Hard Drive commuting blog at oregonlive.com/harddrive
--Joseph RoseThursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
WES TRAIN ROLLS OUT FOR INAUGURAL RUN
One of TriMet's new Westside Express Service trains departs the Beaverton Transit Center for a ceremonial opening ride for dignitaries, journalists and others Wednesday. Full service begins Feb. 2.
BEAVERTON -- TriMet showed off its new commuter train Wednesday at a "first ride" for westside community leaders, the first public passengers on its route between Beaverton and Wilsonville.
The Westside Express Service started as a proposal to ease congestion along the Interstate 5 corridor. After 14 years of planning and troubles with its manufacturers, full service will begin Feb. 2. Trains will run about every 30 minutes Monday through Friday during morning and evening rush hours.
WES video
To see a video from Wednesday's run of the Westside Express Service commuter train, go to the Hard Drive commuter blog.
"This is not the silver bullet for congestion," Tom Brian, chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, said. "But it's silver buckshot: part of the transportation solution, in a way."
Transit officials estimate that WES will have 2,400 riders a day as soon as service begins. They expect it to reach 4,600 by 2020. Three self-propelled cars and one trailer will complete 32 round trips a day. Each car has about 80 seats, along with standing room and space for bicycles and wheelchairs.
In addition, WES will have free Wi-Fi onboard and interactive public art at each of its five stops. Parking for cars and bicycles will be available at most of the stops.
"(We will provide) daily, reliable service and superior customer service," said Jeff Lowe, TriMet's director of commuter rail.
WES was supposed to start running last fall but was delayed because of trouble with the company contracted to build the train. TriMet had to take control of the company, Colorado Railcar Manufacturing, after it ran out of money to complete the vehicles.
Still, Brian said the final cost of the train would be comparable to building a new highway.
"It's another good day in Washington County," he said.
-- Megan Crepeau; megancrepeau@news.oregonian.com



















