MAX Green Line

{{See also|MAX Light Rail#South/North plan}}

While construction of what would become the first segment of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) between downtown Portland and Gresham progressed in the mid-1980s,{{cite news |author= |title=Work to begin on more light rail segments |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 4, 1984 |page=B4}} regional government Metro unveiled plans for the Portland metropolitan area's next light rail line to serve Clackamas County. Metro proposed two routes: one between Portland International Airport and Clackamas Town Center via the I-205 freeway,{{cite news |last=Kohler |first=Vince |title=Light-rail line study under way |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 11, 1985 |page=D4}} and another between downtown Portland, Milwaukie, and Oregon City via McLoughlin Boulevard.{{cite news |author= |title=Where's east side light rail going next? |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 3, 1986 |page=2}} A panel of local and state officials known as the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) endorsed the I-205 route in 1987 with a request to start preliminary engineering for light rail along this corridor in lieu of an originally planned busway.{{cite news |last=Bodine |first=Harry |title=Light-rail expansion backed by officials |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 30, 1987 |page=B12}}{{cite news |last=Bodine |first=Harry |title=Panel puts top priority on mass transit, major highway projects |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 27, 1987 |page=B4}} Their preferred alignment had been the I-205 busway, a partially completed, grade-separated transit right-of-way built during I-205's construction several years prior.{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=After 35 years of waiting, TriMet's Green Line hits all the parties: Thousands ride new I-205 line that was born of a '70s freeway rebellion |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=September 10, 2009 |url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125252833417516900 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608052643/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125252833417516900 |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |access-date=May 13, 2014}} Regional transit agency TriMet, however, wanted an extension of MAX westward to Hillsboro in Washington County to take priority for federal funding, so the agency called on local businesses and governments in Clackamas County to subsidize the proposed $88 million I-205 route.{{cite news |last=Kohler |first=Vince |title=Joint efforts of business, government could spur rail line; both groups need to finance, back line along I-205, panel says |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 23, 1988 |page=B5}}

A dispute between Washington and Clackamas county officials followed, with Clackamas County vying for additional federal assistance, including $17 million in excess funds sourced from the partially realized I-205 busway.{{cite news |last=Green |first=Ashbel |title=County officials debate light-rail routes |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 6, 1988 |page=W1}}{{cite news |last=Kohler |first=Vince |title=Clackamas County seeks federal money for rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 17, 1991 |page=C2}} In an effort to settle the dispute, Metro updated its regional transportation plan (RTP) in January 1989 to reassert the westside line's priority and commission preliminary work for the I-205 and McLoughlin Boulevard proposals.{{cite news |last=Bodine |first=Harry |title=Metro OKs $1.5 billion transit plan |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 14, 1989 |page=D1}} The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a financing package later in September, which provided $2 million to assess the two segments, but at the behest of U.S. Senators Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Brock Adams of Washington, who were members of the committee, a segment further north to Clark County, Washington became part of the proposals.{{cite news |last1=Kohler |first1=Vince |last2=Stewart |first2=Bill |title=Light-rail proposals gain ground in Congress; senate panel approves transportation funding bill, aiding plans for new Oregon City, Vancouver lines |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 10, 1989 |page=C2}}{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Bill |title=County light-rail project gains momentum |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 12, 1993 |page=B2}}

Alignment studies initially examined extending the proposed I-205 route further north across the Columbia River to Vancouver Mall or the Clark County Fairgrounds.{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Bill |title=Clark County light-rail plans chugging along; more than $1 million will be spent on studies on both sides of the river |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 24, 1989 |page=C2}} As the studies analyzed various alternative routes, however, support shifted to an alignment along the busier I-5 and Willamette River corridors.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Citizens advisory committee endorses pair of light-rail routes |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 11, 1993 |page=B3}} A {{convert|25|mi|km|adj=on}} route from Hazel Dell, Washington through downtown Portland to Clackamas Town Center called the "South/North Corridor" was finalized in 1994.{{cite news |last=Maves |first=Norm Jr.|title=25-mile route encompasses hundreds of steps |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 27, 1994 |page=1}} Estimated to cost around $2.8 billion, Portland area voters approved a $475 million bond measure in November 1994 to cover Oregon's share.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |date=November 10, 1994 |title=One down, more to go for reality of north–south rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |page=C10}} A Clark County vote to fund Washington's portion, which would have been sourced through sales and vehicle excise tax increases, was subsequently defeated on February 7, 1995.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Clark County turns down north–south light rail |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 8, 1995 |page=1}} TriMet later sought funding for various scaled-back revisions of the South/North project following a general route between North Portland and Clackamas Town Center that voters went on to reject in 1996 and 1998.{{cite news |last1=Oliver |first1=Gordon |last2=Hunsberger |first2=Brent |title=Tri-Met still wants that rail line to Clackamas County |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 7, 1996 |page=D1}}{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=South/North Line backers find themselves at a loss after election day defeat |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 7, 1998 |page=B1}} In 1997, an unsolicited proposal from engineering company Bechtel led to a public–private partnership that built an extension of MAX to Portland International Airport using the northern half of the I-205 busway from Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center; this extension opened in 2001 with service from the Red Line.{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Bill |title=Airport MAX rolls out Monday |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 7, 2001 |page=B1}}

File:MAX Green Line under construction north of Burnside St, at junction with Blue Line (2008).jpg in 2008, with the Eastside MAX tracks on the right]]

In May 2001, JPACT revisited its plans for the I-205 and McLoughlin Boulevard corridors and the following month announced the $8.8 million South Corridor Transportation Study.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=New MAX plan tries to the double-team approach |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 8, 2001 |page=D1}}{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Metro planners will study two south light-rail lines |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 6, 2001 |page=E3}} By 2003, the study had narrowed down five transit alternatives including building both light rail lines, a combination of one light rail service and one improved bus service, bus rapid transit, and dedicated bus lanes.{{cite news |last=Oppenheimer |first=Laura |title=New MAX plans arrive for input; a revived bid to expand light rail to Milwaukie, one of five transit proposals, may fare better now that former critics are on board |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 27, 2003 |page=E1}} JPACT recommended both light rail options using a two-phased development plan; the I-205 line would be built by 2009,{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=TriMet board agrees to plan for southeast light-rail lines |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 27, 2003 |page=C2}} followed by a Portland–Milwaukie line via McLoughlin Boulevard five years later.{{cite news |last=Oppenheimer |first=Laura |title=South Corridor MAX plan unveiled |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 17, 2003 |page=E1}} The existing I-205 busway right-of-way and a potential for no new taxes were two factors that led to the selection of the I-205 corridor for the first phase.{{cite news |last=Briggs |first=Kara |title=Metro considers transit options along I-205 |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 24, 2002 |page=D2}} With the approval of local residents,{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Dennis |title=Happy Valley-area leaders mostly argue for light rail |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 25, 2002 |page=B2}}{{cite news |last=Parker |first=Andy |title=Polls say you like light rail: What say you? |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 22, 2004 |page=B1}} affected jurisdictions endorsed the South Corridor Transportation Project.{{cite news |last=Oppenheimer |first=Laura |title=Metro gives final OK to MAX lines |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 18, 2003 |page=D6}} Plans were amended the following October to include adding light rail to the Portland Transit Mall in downtown Portland in the first phase.{{cite report |publisher=United States Department of Transportation |title=Downtown Amendment to the South Corridor Project Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxs3AQAAMAAJ |date=October 2003 |access-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083438/https://books.google.com/books?id=oxs3AQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}{{rp|P-2}} TriMet published the combined "I-205/Portland Mall" final environmental impact statement in November 2004 and began acquiring land in 2005.{{cite report |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Rs3AQAAMAAJ |title=South Corridor I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail Project Final Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=United States Department of Transportation |date=November 2004 |access-date=September 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710061757/https://www.google.com/books/edition/South_Corridor_I_205_Portland_Mall_Light/4Rs3AQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Mayes |first=Steve |title=I-205 light rail heads to next stop: Buying land |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 14, 2005 |page=B1}}

The federal government approved the project on February 7, 2006.{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Metro rail projects hit funding fast track |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 8, 2006 |page=A1}} The combined project was budgeted at $575.7 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|575700000|2009}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars),{{cite news |last=Rivera |first=Dylan |title=Green light for the Green Line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 1, 2009 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2009/06/green_light_for_trimets_max_gr.html |access-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822105805/https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2009/06/green_light_for_trimets_max_gr.html |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |url-status=live}} of which approximately $355.7 million went to the I-205 segment.{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=TriMet: Mall can be safe, orderly |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=May 20, 2009 |url=https://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=49851 |access-date=July 2, 2019 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418053832/https://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=49851 |url-status=live }} TriMet negotiated a local match of 40 percent of total funding, which amounted to $197.4 million (unadjusted).{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Plan would raise parking fees |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 29, 2004 |page=B1}} Federal funding covered the remaining 60 percent, or about $345 million, under the New Starts program.{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Light rail in Bush's 2008 budget |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 8, 2007 |page=C5}} The head of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) signed the full-funding agreement in Portland on July 3, 2007.{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Money lines up for light-rail expansions |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 3, 2007 |page=C2}} In May 2009, the project received $32 million in federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an amount already committed to the project by the federal government but made available so that TriMet could retire debt earlier.{{cite news |last=Carinci |first=Justin |title=MAX green line gets $32 million |url=http://www.djcoregon.com/news/2009/05/08/MAX-green-line-gets-32-million/ |newspaper=Daily Journal of Commerce |date=May 8, 2009 |access-date=August 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723051341/http://djcoregon.com/news/2009/05/08/MAX-green-line-gets-32-million/ |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |url-status=live }} The City of Portland provided $15 million in bonds paid for by raising parking meter fees, as well as $17 million from a local improvement district and $6.3 million from systems and utilities charges. Around $36 million came from Clackamas County urban renewal funds collected from property taxes within the Clackamas Town Center urban renewal district.{{cite news |last=Hunsberger |first=Sarah |title=$36.3 million added to light-rail |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 14, 2004 |page=C1}}{{cite news |last=Hunsberger |first=Sarah |title=Clackamas County unfurls lengthy to-do list for next fiscal year |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 1, 2006 |page=10}} TriMet contributed $20.5 million,{{cite news |last=Mirk |first=Sarah |title=Fighting Tooth and Rail |newspaper=Portland Mercury |date=September 17, 2009 |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/fighting-tooth-and-rail/Content?oid=1657140 |access-date=July 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724131326/http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/fighting-tooth-and-rail/Content?oid=1657140 |archive-date=July 24, 2014 |url-status=live }} and the Portland Development Commission provided $20 million. Downtown businesses spent an additional $15.3 million to improve retail spaces along the transit mall.{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Downtown's retail challenge |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 8, 2007 |pages=12–16}}

File:North portal of MAX Green Line tunnel under I-205, August 2015.jpg

In February 2004, TriMet awarded the I-205 segment's design–build contract to South Corridor Constructors, a joint venture between Stacy and Witbeck, F.E. Ward Constructors—who had both worked on the Interstate MAX project—and Granite Construction Company.{{cite news |last=Hsuan |first=Amy |title=Proven MAX contractors will design the I-205 line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 26, 2004 |page=B3}} Construction began in February 2007.{{cite news|last=Redden |first=Jim |title=Leaders heap praise on new MAX Green Line |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=September 13, 2009 |url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125287334832689400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608054136/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125287334832689400 |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |access-date = May 13, 2014}} This marked the start of a 2{{frac|1|2}}-year closure of sections of the I-205 Bike Path;{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Kimberly |title=Popular I-205 path hits 2 1/2-year rough patch |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 21, 2007 |page=5}} a new mixed-use path linking Clackamas County to the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland was paved as a permanent alternative.{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Dennis |title=Work on light rail will interrupt traffic |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 11, 2007 |page=C3}}{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Kimberly |title=News Update: TriMet will lead free bike ride to show off new I-205 bike route |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 5, 2007 |page=9}} Preliminary work began in April and involved erecting light rail bridges over Johnson Creek Boulevard and Harold Street and excavating light rail underpasses below Stark and Washington streets. Crews were at work within Clackamas County by November.{{cite news |last=Nehl |first=Steven |title=Drivers must negotiate cones on Southeast Monterey Avenue between Southeast 82nd and Southeast 85th avenues. The county aims to finish $4.2 million in improvements at the site by October 2008. |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 15, 2007 |page=12}} The line was over 70 percent complete by November 2008, with tracks laid from Gateway Transit Center to Flavel Street.{{cite news |last=Fall |first=John |title=Future MAX Green Line takes shape along I-205 |newspaper=Mid-County Memo |date=November 2008 |url=https://midcountymemo.com/nov08_max.html |access-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626174621/https://midcountymemo.com/nov08_max.html |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |url-status=live }} To serve the expansion, TriMet ordered 22 Siemens S70 cars, which it referred to as "Type 4". Siemens delivered the first car in 2009;{{cite news |author=Siemens |title=Siemens Receives $73 M Light Rail Vehicle Order From Portland's TriMet |date=May 24, 2012 |publisher=PR Newswire |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siemens-receives-73-m-light-rail-vehicle-order-from-portlands-trimet-153563385.html |access-date=June 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627225013/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siemens-receives-73-m-light-rail-vehicle-order-from-portlands-trimet-153563385.html |archive-date=June 27, 2019 |url-status=live }} it made its first test run that March and entered service on August 6.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=MAX turns heads on practice run |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 1, 2009}}{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=TriMet puts new light-rail cars on track |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=August 6, 2009 |url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=124959768388491400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831121611/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=124959768388491400 |archive-date=August 31, 2009 |access-date=October 5, 2015}} The I-205 extension's first end-to-end test run, attended by local and state dignitaries, occurred that July.{{cite news |last=Rivera |first=Dylan |title=Green light for the Green Line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 1, 2009}}

The I-205 segment opened on September 12, 2009.{{cite news |last=Rivera |first=Dylan |title=Thousands on MAX go Green Festivities and free rides draw takers for the new downtown–Clackamas Town Center line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 13, 2009}} TriMet created a new MAX service for the extension called the "Green Line", which initially ran from Clackamas Town Center Transit Center to the PSU Urban Center stations,{{cite news |last=Rivera |first=Dylan |title=Riders pack MAX Green Line on first day of service |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 13, 2009 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/riders_pack_max_green_line_on.html |access-date=September 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922191206/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/riders_pack_max_green_line_on.html |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=Line's last piece stirs money questions |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date= September 24, 2009 |url=http://thetribonline.net/news/story.php?story_id=125373697936164200 |access-date=September 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222054826/http://thetribonline.net/news/story.php?story_id=125373697936164200 |archive-date=February 22, 2013 |url-status=usurped }} but was later extended to the PSU South stations when those stations were infilled in September 2012.{{cite news|last=Bailey Jr.|first=Everton|title=TriMet boosts most fares starting Saturday; some routes changing |newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 30, 2012 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/index.ssf/2012/08/trimet_boosts_most_fares_start.html |access-date=September 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301194751/https://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/2012/08/trimet_boosts_most_fares_start.html |archive-date=March 1, 2020}} The I-205 segment added {{convert|6.5|mi|km}} to the MAX system.{{cite news |author= |title=Finance [part of monthly news section] |magazine=Railway Gazette International |date=August 2007 |page=470 |publisher=DVV Media Group |location=UK |issn=0373-5346}}{{cite magazine| last=Morgan | first=Steve | title=Expansion for Portland's MAX: New routes and equipment | magazine=Passenger Train Journal | date=2010 | volume=33 | issue=1 – First quarter 2010| pages=38–40 | publisher=White River Productions, Inc.}} Opening day festivities, paid for by sponsors and donations, were held at Clackamas Town Center and PSU, and as many as 40,000 people showed up to ride the trains, which were free that day. To address its $31 million budget deficit caused by the slow growth of payroll tax revenue amid the Great Recession,{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Brad |last2=Miner |first2=Colin |title=TriMet's cutback plan a flat tire for many riders |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 9, 2009 }}{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=TriMet is braced for tumultuous year |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 26, 2009 }} TriMet simultaneously eliminated four bus lines and implemented service cuts to 49 other routes.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=TriMet leaves bus riders at curb again |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 7, 2009 |page=A2 |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/09/trimet_leaves_bus_riders_at_cu.html |access-date=April 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426172224/http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/09/trimet_leaves_bus_riders_at_cu.html |archive-date=April 26, 2019 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Portland Transit Mall}}

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| image1 = Portland Mall rebuilding 2007.jpg

| caption1 = Construction along downtown Portland's 5th Avenue in July 2007, facing south from Yamhill Street

| alt1 = Photograph of construction on 5th Avenue at Yamhill Street

| image2 = MAX and bus side-by-side on Portland Mall, 5th & Yamhill.jpg

| caption2 = A Green Line train alongside other modes on the Portland Transit Mall in 2011

| alt2 = Photograph of a Max train on the left, a bus in the center and a woman on a bicycle making a turn off the Portland Transit Mall

}}

A north–south rail alignment through downtown Portland had been considered as early as the 1980s. In 1991, the Portland City Council commissioned a feasibility study for a potential subway line beneath the Portland Transit Mall on 5th and 6th avenues, then served only by buses, following recommendations made by a citizen advisory committee.{{cite news |last=Kiyomura |first=Cathy |title=Downtown subway study ordered |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 4, 1991 |page=B1}} While planning for the South/North project in 1994, planners introduced a surface light rail alternative,{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Advisers approve light rail routes |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 4, 1994 |page=B5}} which the project's steering committee later favored when they concluded that a $250 million tunnel would be too costly.{{cite news |last=Christ |first=Janet |title=Light rail route would allow easy access to PSU |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 27, 1994 |page=C1}}{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Fight over light rail rages on |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=December 6, 1995 |page=C3}} Following the South/North project's cancellation, the city held off revitalization efforts for the transit mall amid proposals from local businesses to rebuild it to allow curbside parking.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Katz squelches talk of parking at transit mall |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 29, 2002 |page=D2}}

In 2003, TriMet planners reconsidered adding light rail to the Portland Transit Mall after planning for the second phase of the South Corridor Transportation Study, or the Portland–Milwaukie line, revealed that a fourth service on the existing tracks in downtown's Morrison and Yamhill streets—already served by the Blue, Red, and upcoming Yellow lines—would exceed that segment's capacity.{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Light-rail line likely addition to transit mall |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 15, 2003 |page=B1}} Portland business leaders likewise argued for the construction of a new bridge leading to the southern end of the transit mall instead of using the Hawthorne Bridge due to fears that the latter would create a traffic bottleneck.{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Dennis |title=Milwaukie group poses surprise light-rail option |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=December 20, 2001 |page=C3}} TriMet conducted a study proposing stations on either the left, right, or middle lanes of the transit mall and ultimately selected a hybrid center-lane travel with right-side boarding option in April 2004.{{cite news |author= |title=TriMet offers three options for MAX tracks |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 4, 2003 |page=D1}}{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Likely plan for train, bus boarding leans right |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 1, 2004 |page=B2}} A transit mall revitalization plan was approved and combined with the first-phase construction of the I-205 segment a month later.{{rp|P-2}} Consisting of seven stations per split on 5th and 6th avenues, the project extended the existing transit mall from 44 to 117 block faces from Union Station to PSU.{{cite report |url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/501310 |title=Portland Transit Mall, Urban Design Analysis & Vision |publisher=City of Portland, Oregon, Bureau of Planning |date=March 2004 |page=4 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528115317/https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/501310 |archive-date=May 28, 2016 |url-status=live }} It also added a continuous travel lane for private vehicles, which had not been present in the corridor's original bus-only design.{{cite news |last1=Leeson |first1=Fred |last2=Mayer |first2=James |title=Construction pain will mean transit mall gain |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 22, 2007 |page=W43}}

TriMet awarded the Portland Mall reconstruction project to Stacy and Witbeck and Kiewit Pacific. Preparation work began with 17 bus lines rerouted to 3rd and 4th avenues, six lines to Columbia and Jefferson streets, and one line, 14–Hawthorne, to 2nd Avenue.{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Access will be mantra of mall makeover |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 3, 2007 |page=B2}}{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=The buses are moving, and so are a few businesses |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 5, 2007 |page=B1}} Construction commenced on January 14, 2007, with the corridor's temporary closure.{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=Bye-bye, bus mall as we know it |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=January 12, 2007 |url=http://localdailynews.net/news/story.php?story_id=116855917359029300 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224034951/http://localdailynews.net/news/story.php?story_id=116855917359029300 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |access-date=May 13, 2014}}{{citation |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=One-person shops go with transit flow |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 15, 2007 |page=7}} Owing to techniques learned from the Interstate MAX project, businesses were kept open while sections, from north to south, were closed off in three- to four-block increments.{{cite news |last=Hauser |first=Susan G. |title=Downtown to the MAX |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 27, 2007}}{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Downtown's transit mall comes along right on track |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 29, 2007 |page=B1}}{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Jim |title=Transit mall redo: Riches, ruin or... |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=November 19, 2004 |url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=27133 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331125657/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=27133 |archive-date=March 31, 2012 |access-date=August 21, 2012}} The original transit mall had been built with mortar-set bricks, which proved difficult to maintain; for the reconstruction, TriMet experimented with sand-set brick paving as recommended by British civil engineer John Knapton, who had studied Roman road building methods.{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Back to the future for bus mall bricks |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 25, 2007 |page=10}} Tracks were laid {{convert|25|in|cm}} into the surface street while water pipes and sewers were buried {{convert|6|ft|m}} to {{convert|25|ft|m}} underground. Crews installed the last section of rail in May 2008.{{cite news |last=Joe |first=Fredrick D. |title=Tracking progress: Last rail put in place |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 10, 2008 |page=B1}} Then from June through August, workers closed the upper deck of the Steel Bridge to connect the existing Eastside MAX tracks with the new transit mall tracks.{{cite news |last=Mortenson |first=Eric |title=Buses get boot from bridge for rail work |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 31, 2008 |page=B1}}

5th and 6th avenues opened to vehicular traffic in July 2008.{{cite news |last=Beaven |first=Stephen |title=Street work ends early on Fifth, Sixth downtown |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 28, 2008 |page=B1}} TriMet began line testing in January 2009, initially with light rail cars hauled by a truck,{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=TriMet to test transit mall MAX tracks Starting Monday, drivers and cyclists will want to stop driving on the light-rail tracks in the new downtown Portland transit mall. That's when crews begin testing the tracks by using a big truck |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 25, 2009 |page=B2}} then with its new Type 4 MAX trains. Bus service returned to the transit mall on May 24.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Rose (journalist) |title=Welcome home: Buses return to Portland Mall |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 21, 2009 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/bus_parade_will_mark_trimets_r.html |access-date=May 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525113333/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/bus_parade_will_mark_trimets_r.html |archive-date=May 25, 2009 |url-status=live }} On August 30, the {{convert|1.8|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} Portland Mall light rail segment opened with inaugural service from the Yellow Line, which TriMet rerouted from First Avenue and Morrison and Yamhill streets.{{cite news |author= |title=New MAX line opens downtown |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=August 28, 2009 |url=http://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=54413 |access-date=May 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103091415/http://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=54413 |archive-date=January 3, 2015 |url-status=live }} Green Line trains began serving the segment on September 12. Light rail service on the transit mall initially ran only between Union Station and the PSU Urban Center stations while nearby building projects delayed the construction of the PSU South stations, which finally opened in September 2012.

{{Main|Southwest Corridor (TriMet)}}

File:Bridgeport Village - Tualatin, Oregon (2019).jpg

The Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project was a planned 13-station, {{convert|11|mi|km|adj=on}} MAX extension that would have connected downtown Portland to Southwest Portland, Tigard, and Tualatin.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/swcorridor/pdf/swc-factsheet.pdf |title=Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project (Factsheet) |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722161535/https://trimet.org/swcorridor/pdf/swc-factsheet.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live }} It would have originated at the PSU South stations in downtown Portland and traveled southwest via Southwest Barbur Boulevard, a part of Oregon Route 99W (OR 99W), until Barbur Transit Center.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/swcorridor/route.htm |title=Design, Stations and Route |publisher=TriMet |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912233441/https://trimet.org/swcorridor/route.htm |archive-date=September 12, 2020}} From there, MAX would have run adjacent to I-5, except in Tigard where it would have run parallel to a segment of Portland and Western Railroad tracks utilized by WES Commuter Rail.{{cite report |url=https://trimet.org/swcorridor/pdf/final-conceptual-design-report.pdf |title=Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project Conceptual Design Report Final Draft |date=Summer 2020 |publisher=TriMet |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806181251/https://trimet.org/swcorridor/pdf/final-conceptual-design-report.pdf |archive-date=August 6, 2020}}{{rp|148–155}} A terminus would have been situated within Bridgeport Village in Tualatin. The extension would have connected riders to the Marquam Hill campus of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) with an inclined elevator and to Portland Community College (PCC) Sylvania with a shuttle bus. A new Hall Boulevard station would have connected with WES via Tigard Transit Center and would have served as the site of a new operations and maintenance facility.{{rp|170–175}}

Metro adopted its 2035 RTP in June 2010 where it identified a segment of OR 99W between Portland and Sherwood as the region's next highest-priority "high-capacity transit" corridor.{{cite report |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/07/24/2035_rtp_final_document_as_submitted_and_approved_by_dlcd_usdot_web_0.pdf |title=2035 Regional Transportation Plan |publisher=Metro |date=June 2010 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924211403/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/07/24/2035_rtp_final_document_as_submitted_and_approved_by_dlcd_usdot_web_0.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2020}}{{rp|2–46}}{{cite web |title=Southwest Corridor Plan Scoping public involvement report |publisher=Metro |date=February 2012 |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2017/02/24/SWCP-Scoping-Public-Involvment-Report-201202.pdf |access-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708151800/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2017/02/24/SWCP-Scoping-Public-Involvment-Report-201202.pdf |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |url-status=live }}{{rp|1}} In January 2011, The FTA granted Metro $2 million to begin studying this formally named "Southwest Corridor". The funds focused on the assessment of various mode alternatives, including light rail, commuter rail, streetcar, and bus rapid transit.{{cite news |last=Florip |first=Eric |title=Grant will boost study of public transit options |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 8, 2011 |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/134A5AB3D25252A8 |url-access=registration |via=NewsBank |access-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131045803/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/user/login?destination=document-view%3Fp%3DAMNEWS%26docref%3Dnews%2F134A5AB3D25252A8 |url-status=live }} The Southwest Corridor Plan officially launched later on September 28, formalizing the development of a unified transportation plan between the involved communities and jurisdictions.{{rp|1}} In June 2013, the project steering committee selected light rail and bus rapid transit as the alternatives for further consideration.{{cite web |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/12/10/Southwest-Corridor-Winter2014-project-update.pdf |title=Southwest Corridor Winter 2014 project update |publisher=Metro |date=December 1, 2014 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924215051/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/12/10/Southwest-Corridor-Winter2014-project-update.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2020}}{{rp|2}} Citing a lack of present and future demand, the steering committee eliminated further planning using the alternatives to Sherwood. They also rerouted the proposed alignment in Tigard through the Tigard Triangle in response to local opposition to the removal of auto lanes from OR 99W.{{cite report |title=Southwest Corridor Plan Evaluation Report Transit, Roadway, Active Transportation |publisher=Metro |date=June 2013 |url=https://www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM/TGMProducts/1H-10_4.pdf |access-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924215631/https://www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM/TGMProducts/1H-10_4.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2020}}{{rp|3}}

In June 2014, the steering committee determined a refined route for further study that ran from the southern end of the Portland Transit Mall in downtown Portland to just east of Tualatin station in downtown Tualatin;{{cite report |title=Recommendations on Southwest corridor high capacity transit design options, complementary multimodal projects and potential station locations for further study |date=June 9, 2014 |publisher=Metro |url=http://rim.metro-region.org/webdrawer/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/303590/view |access-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131045802/https://rim.oregonmetro.gov/webdrawer/record/303590/file/document |url-status=live }}{{rp|6–7}} this route was later shortened to terminate at Bridgeport Village.{{cite map |url=https://trimet.org/swcorridor/img/detailedmap.png |title=Southwest Corridor November 2018 preferred alternative |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722160642/https://trimet.org/swcorridor/img/detailedmap.png |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live }} The following year, proposals to serve Marquam Hill and Hillsdale with tunnels were dropped from the plan because they would be too costly, have severe construction impacts, and attract few new transit riders.{{cite news |last1=Beebe |first1=Craig |title=Southwest Corridor leaders drop Marquam Hill/Hillsdale tunnels, leave door open on Sylvania option |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/southwest-corridor-leaders-drop-marquam-hillhillsdale-tunnels-leave-door-open-sylvania-option |access-date=July 20, 2015 |publisher=Metro |date=July 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722013720/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/southwest-corridor-leaders-drop-marquam-hillhillsdale-tunnels-leave-door-open-sylvania-option |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Tims |first1=Dana |title=No deep tunnel for OHSU: Southwest Corridor plan |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2015/07/no_deep_tunnel_for_ohsu_southw.html |access-date=July 20, 2015 |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722125726/http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2015/07/no_deep_tunnel_for_ohsu_southw.html |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=live}} In May 2016, the steering committee voted to select light rail as the preferred mode alternative over bus rapid transit. They also removed a tunnel to PCC Sylvania from further consideration.{{cite news |last1=Beebe |first1=Craig |title=Leaders decide: Light rail for Portland to Bridgeport Village, no PCC tunnel |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/leaders-decide-light-rail-portland-bridgeport-village-no-pcc-tunnel |access-date=June 1, 2016 |publisher=Metro |date=May 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604131622/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/leaders-decide-light-rail-portland-bridgeport-village-no-pcc-tunnel |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Njus |first1=Elliot |title=Committee picks light rail for SW Corridor transit project |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/05/committee_picks_light_rail_for.html |access-date=May 10, 2016 |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510095919/http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/05/committee_picks_light_rail_for.html |archive-date=May 10, 2016 |url-status=live}} After passing a measure requiring voters to approve the construction of any high-capacity transit built within city limits,{{cite news |last=Nirappil |first=Fenit |title=Proposal wants to give Tigard voters a transit veto |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 5, 2013}} Tigard voters approved the light rail extension the following September.{{cite news |last=Hammond |first=Betsy |title=Tigard voters say 'yes' to light rail -- by just 130 votes |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 16, 2016 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/tigard_voters_say_yes_to_light.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920161448/https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/tigard_voters_say_yes_to_light.html |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}

At an estimated cost of $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion,{{cite news |last=Mesh |first=Aaron |date=June 13, 2018 |title=The Price Tag on Light Rail to Bridgeport Village Has Grown by Nearly a Billion Dollars |url=http://www.wweek.com/news/2018/06/13/the-price-tag-on-light-rail-to-bridgeport-village-has-grown-by-nearly-a-billion-dollars/ |newspaper=Willamette Week |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614021527/http://www.wweek.com/news/2018/06/13/the-price-tag-on-light-rail-to-bridgeport-village-has-grown-by-nearly-a-billion-dollars/ |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |url-status=live }} the project was included in a regional transportation funding measure called "Get Moving 2020".{{cite web |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/get-moving-2020 |title=Proposed Measure 26-218: "Get Moving 2020" |publisher=Metro |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912233228/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/get-moving-2020 |archive-date=September 12, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Monahan |first=Rachel |title=Poll for a Metrowide 2020 Transportation Ballot Initiative Shows Solid Support for Several Billion Dollar Investment |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2019/01/25/poll-for-a-metrowide-2020-transportation-ballot-initiative-shows-solid-support-for-several-billion-dollar-investment/ |newspaper=Willamette Week |date=January 25, 2019 |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722164844/https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2019/01/25/poll-for-a-metrowide-2020-transportation-ballot-initiative-shows-solid-support-for-several-billion-dollar-investment/ |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live }} In light of a budget gap of $462{{nbsp}}million, planners proposed reducing lanes on Barbur Boulevard and shortening the line's route to terminate in downtown Tigard. Both proposals were rejected in November 2019. Private negotiations, as well as Metro's approval to increase the project's requested budget by $125{{nbsp}}million in the 2020 ballot measure, reduced the budget gap to around $100{{nbsp}}million.{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Bill |title=SW light-rail plan: Neither shorter, nor skinnier |date=November 5, 2019 |newspaper=Portland Tribune |url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/442844-357075-sw-light-rail-plan-neither-shorter-nor-skinnier |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106160213/https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/442844-357075-sw-light-rail-plan-neither-shorter-nor-skinnier |url-status=live }} On November 3, 2020, voters rejected the measure.{{cite news |author= |title=Portland-area voters decline Measure 26-218 |publisher=Metro |date=November 3, 2020 |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/portland-area-voters-decline-measure-26-218 |access-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104053942/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/portland-area-voters-decline-measure-26-218 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Theen |first=Andrew |title=Voters reject Metro's payroll tax to fund billions in transportation projects |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 3, 2020 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/11/voters-appear-to-reject-metros-payroll-tax-to-fund-billions-in-transportation-projects.html |access-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126021442/https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/11/voters-appear-to-reject-metros-payroll-tax-to-fund-billions-in-transportation-projects.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Monahan |first=Rachel |title=After a Bitter Campaign, Metro Transportation Measure Fails |newspaper=Willamette Week |date=November 3, 2020 |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2020/11/03/after-a-bitter-campaign-metro-transportation-measure-fails/ |access-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104050218/https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2020/11/03/after-a-bitter-campaign-metro-transportation-measure-fails/ |url-status=live }} Had it been approved, the extension would have begun construction in 2022 and opened by 2027. It had been expected to serve approximately 37,500 riders by 2035.

File:Fosterblvd.jpg

The Green Line is {{convert|15|mi|km|1}} long and serves three distinct segments of the MAX system: the Portland Transit Mall, the Eastside MAX, and the I-205 MAX. Its western termini are the PSU South stations situated at the southern end of the Portland Transit Mall within the PSU campus.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html?stop_id=10293 |title=Stop ID 10293 – PSU South/SW 6th & College MAX Stn, Northbound |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425162047/https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html%3Fstop_id%3D10293 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live }} Tracks along the transit mall are split between 5th and 6th Avenues; trains travel northbound on 6th Avenue and southbound on 5th Avenue.{{cite map |url=https://trimet.org/maps/pdf/citycenter.pdf |title=Portland City Center and Transit Mall |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509003618/http://trimet.org/maps/pdf/citycenter.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |url-status=live }} From the PSU South stations, the line traverses the length of the transit mall, ending near Portland Union Station.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html?stop_id=7763 |title=Stop ID 7763 – Union Station/NW 6th & Hoyt MAX Stn, Northbound |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425162042/https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html%3Fstop_id%3D7763 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live }} Along the way, it crosses with Portland Streetcar tracks near the PSU Urban Center stations and with the east–west MAX tracks on Yamhill and Morrison streets near the Pioneer Courthouse/Southwest 6th and Pioneer Place/Southwest 5th stations.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html?stop_id=7774 |title=Stop ID 7774 – PSU Urban Center/SW 6th & Montgomery MAX Stn, Northbound |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425162042/https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html%3Fstop_id%3D7774 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html?stop_id=7777 |title=Stop ID 7777 – Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th Ave MAX Stn, Northbound |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425162049/https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html%3Fstop_id%3D7777 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live }} A wye connects the tracks near the intersection of Northwest 5th Avenue and Hoyt Street.

The line continues east onto the Northwest Glisan Street Ramp where the tracks join the Eastside MAX alignment and then cross the Willamette River via the Steel Bridge.{{cite map |url=https://trimet.org/maps/pdf/railsystem.pdf |title=Rail System Map with transfers |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210194620/https://trimet.org/maps/pdf/railsystem.pdf |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |url-status=live }} From here, the Green Line serves the Banfield segment of the Eastside MAX between Rose Quarter Transit Center and Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html?stop_id=8340 |title=Stop ID 8340 – Rose Quarter TC MAX Station, Eastbound |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425162050/https://trimet.org/ride/stop.html%3Fstop_id%3D8340 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}

Beyond Gateway Transit Center, the Green Line proceeds south, entering the I-205 MAX extension just east of I-205. Throughout most of this stretch, the line is grade-separated as part of the I-205 busway, running either above or below roadway intersections. The exception is an at-grade crossing at Southeast Flavel Street.{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/SE+Flavel+St,+Portland,+OR+97266/@45.4683466,-122.5669793,196m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x54959fed626d37f7:0xbc4f6d74b4778c95!8m2!3d45.4683457!4d-122.5664322 |title=I-205 MAX at-grade crossing at Southeast Flavel Street |access-date=July 25, 2019}} Much of this segment also parallels the I-205 Bike Path. Between Southeast Lincoln and Grant streets, the tracks enter a tunnel beneath the freeway, exiting on the opposite side just north of Southeast Division Street. Above Johnson Creek Boulevard, it travels on a {{convert|1400|ft|m|adj=on}}-long overpass, the extension's longest elevated structure. South of Southeast Fuller Road station, the line dips under the Otty Road and Monterey Avenue overpasses before terminating at Clackamas Town Center Transit Center near Southeast Sunnyside Road.

The Green Line shares the northbound segment of the Portland Transit Mall with the Yellow Line, which diverges for Expo Center station in North Portland after crossing the Steel Bridge. It shares the southbound segment with the Orange Line, which continues beyond PSU South/Southwest 5th and Jackson station for Southeast Park Avenue station near Milwaukie. The Green Line also shares a portion of the Eastside MAX with Blue and Red lines between Rose Quarter Transit Center and Gateway Transit Center.

{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=900|frame-height=450|frame-lat=45.520|frame-long=-122.708|zoom=11|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/MAX Light Rail/Green Line}}|text=A geographic map of the MAX Green Line (in red) relative to the rest of the network (in black) with icons marking the line's termini.{{efn|The official system schematic can be viewed on the TriMet website.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/maps/img/railsystem.png |title=TriMet Rail System |publisher=TriMet |access-date=2024-05-05 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729002419/https://trimet.org/maps/img/railsystem.png |url-status=live }}}}}}

{{Further|topic=the stations, including local bus connections|List of MAX Light Rail stations}}

File:Clackamas Town Ctr TC MAX stn viewed from P&R garage.jpg

The I-205/Portland Mall project added 20 new stations to the MAX system upon completion in September 2009: 12 one-way pairs along the Portland Transit Mall and eight stations along I-205. In September 2012, the PSU South stations on the southern end of the transit mall were infilled. The Green Line serves all 22 stations in addition to eight others, a total of 30 stations.

The eight additional stations, from Rose Quarter Transit Center to Gateway Transit Center, are part of the Eastside MAX segment, where the Green Line interlines with the Blue and Red lines. Along the transit mall, the Green Line also interlines with the Yellow Line southbound and the Orange Line northbound, thus making it the only service that shares its alignment with all of the other MAX services. The Green Line also facilitates connections with local and intercity bus services at various stops across the line, the Portland Streetcar at four stops in and near downtown Portland,{{cite web |url=https://portlandstreetcar.org/schedules |title=Maps + Schedules - Portland Streetcar |publisher=Portland Streetcar |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210194359/https://portlandstreetcar.org/schedules |archive-date=February 10, 2019}} and Amtrak at Union Station.

TriMet designates the Green Line as a "Frequent Service" route.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/frequentservice.htm |title=Frequent Service |publisher=TriMet |access-date=August 6, 2018 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109065214/https://trimet.org/schedules/frequentservice.htm}} Green Line trains operate on weekdays from 3:20 am to 1:10 am the next day and on weekends from 4:15 am to 1:10 am. Service runs every 15 minutes during most of the day, but frequency is reduced to 30 minutes during late, off-peak hours. End-to-end travel from Clackamas Town Center Transit Center to the PSU South stations takes 50 minutes. Some morning PSU-bound trains become Orange Line trains from Union Station, while some morning Clackamas-bound trains start off as Blue Line trains and turn into Green Line trains at Gateway Transit Center. Additionally, some evening eastbound trains turn into Blue Line trains at Rose Quarter Transit Center.MAX Green Line schedules:

• For weekday, to Portland City Center and PSU: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1200_1.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Weekday To Portland City Center and PSU |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202943/https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1200_1.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• For weekday, to Clackamas Town Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1200_0.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Weekday To Clackamas Town Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202945/https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1200_0.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• For Saturday, to Portland City Center and PSU: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1200_1.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Saturday To Portland City Center and PSU |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202946/https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1200_1.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• For Saturday, to Clackamas Town Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1200_0.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Saturday To Clackamas Town Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202943/https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1200_0.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• For Sunday, to Portland City Center and PSU: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1200_1.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Sunday To Portland City Center and PSU |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202941/https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1200_1.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• For Sunday, to Clackamas Town Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1200_0.pdf |title=MAX Green Line, Sunday To Clackamas Town Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729202942/https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1200_0.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}

The Green Line averaged 13,030 riders in September 2024, the third busiest in the MAX system. Before the start of construction, a PSU study estimated the Green Line would carry 46,500 riders by 2025. TriMet had projected an average of 25,250 riders on weekdays for the first year, but fewer people than expected actually rode the line on the first weekday service.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Riders have choice of seats on Green Line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 15, 2019 |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/09/first_commute.html |access-date=April 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426175620/http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/09/first_commute.html |archive-date=April 26, 2019 |url-status=live }} By the following month, TriMet had recorded approximately 17,000 trips per day.{{cite news |last=Mayes |first=Steve |title=Green Line no route for crime |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 19, 2009}} The average daily ridership in June 2010 was 19,500,{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/publications/performance-statistics/June2010.pdf |title=June 2010 Monthly Performance Report–Audited (includes FY10 Summary) |date=September 10, 2010 |publisher=TriMet |access-date=September 7, 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202010107/http://trimet.org/pdfs/publications/performance-statistics/June2010.pdf |archive-date=December 2, 2010}} increasing to 24,300 by April 2012.{{cite news |last=Fetsch |first=Mary |url=http://media.trimet.org/trimet-ridership-continues-to-rise/ |title=TriMet ridership continues to rise |date=May 11, 2012 |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027091059/http://media.trimet.org/trimet-ridership-continues-to-rise/ |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |url-status=live }}

In September 2019, the Green Line was the third-busiest MAX service with an average weekday ridership of 19,160,{{cite web |title=September 2019 Monthly Performance Report |url=https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2019/2019-09.pdf |publisher=TriMet |access-date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426205623/https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2019/2019-09.pdf |url-status=live }} 1,480 fewer riders than the previous year.{{cite web |title=September 2018 Monthly Performance Report |url=https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2018/2018-09.pdf |publisher=TriMet |access-date=February 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222055135/https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2018/2018-09.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2019}} The drop in ridership—experienced systemwide—is attributed to crime and lower-income riders being forced out of the inner city by rising housing prices.{{cite news |last=Keizur |first=Christopher |title=Safe travels? |work=Portland Tribune |url=https://portlandtribune.com/go/42-news/362854-242841-safe-travels |date=June 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804050017/https://portlandtribune.com/go/42-news/362854-242841-safe-travels |archive-date=August 4, 2018 |access-date=August 3, 2018}}{{cite web |last=Zielinski |first=Alex |title=You Know Portland's Transportation Woes Have Reached a Breaking Point When... |work=Portland Mercury |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/05/18/19925551/you-know-portlands-transportation-woes-have-reached-a-breaking-point-when |date=May 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804045911/https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/05/18/19925551/you-know-portlands-transportation-woes-have-reached-a-breaking-point-when |archive-date=August 4, 2018 |access-date=August 3, 2018}}

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{{Commons category|MAX Green Line}}

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Category:2009 establishments in Oregon

Green Line

Category:Rail lines in Oregon

Category:Railway lines opened in 2009