MAX Orange Line

In 1975, a task force of Governor Tom McCall and the Columbia Region Association of Governments (CRAG){{cite conference |last=Thompson |first=Gregory L. |title=How Portland's Power Brokers Accommodated the Anti-Highway Movement of the Early 1970s: The Decision to Build Light Rail |conference=Business and Economic History On-Line |year=2005 |publisher=Business History Conference |volume=3 |url=https://thebhc.org/sites/default/files/thompson.pdf |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112181904/https://thebhc.org/sites/default/files/thompson.pdf |archive-date=January 12, 2022}}{{rp|1}} proposed a network of "transitways" between Portland and its suburbs following calls to transfer federal assistance funds from the canceled Mount Hood Freeway project to other transportation projects in the region.{{cite news |author= |title=Meetings on transit ideas slated |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 4, 1975 |page=C2 }}{{cite news |last=Hortsch |first=Dan |title=Mt. Hood Freeway may be dead – but it's still kicking |newspaper=The Sunday Oregonian |date=September 28, 1975 |page=D1 }} The proposal primarily envisioned a busway concept,{{rp|12}} but also considered a light rail alternative, particularly for the corridor between Portland and Oregon City in Clackamas County.{{cite news |last=Hortsch |first=Dan |title=Transferred money would go toward multiplicity of confusing projects |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 28, 1975 |page=D1 }} Amid pressure to identify a use for the transfer money,{{cite news |last=Mosey |first=Ed |title=Delay urged in deciding use of Mt. Hood freeway funds |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 8, 1976 |page=A24}}{{cite news |last=Hortsch |first=Dan |title=Shift of freeway funds stirs complex situation |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 23, 1976 |page=A15}} as stipulated by a provision in the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973,{{rp|7–8}}{{cite news |author= |title=Freeway fund report delayed |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=December 19, 1975 |page=F8}} CRAG prioritized redeveloping the Banfield Transitway,{{rp|12}}{{cite web |title=Making History: 50 Years of Transit in the Portland Region |last=Selinger |first=Philip |date=October 2019 |publisher=TriMet |url=https://trimet.org/history/pdf/making-history.pdf |access-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225160919/https://trimet.org/history/pdf/making-history.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2020}}{{rp|30}} a segment of I-84 connecting I-5 in downtown Portland east to I-205,{{cite report |author1=United States. Federal Highway Administration |author2=United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration |author3=Oregon. State Highway Division |title=Banfield Transitway Project: Light Rail Transit Line and Banfield Freeway Improvements: Final Environmental Impact Statement |date=August 1980 |work=TriMet Collection |page=ii |url=https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=oscdl_trimet |access-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083336/https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=oscdl_trimet |url-status=live |via=Portland State University Library}} and put the Oregon City corridor on hold.{{rp|12}} In November of that year, regional transit agency TriMet lost its option to purchase used PCC streetcars from Toronto, which it had hoped to use on the proposed Portland–Oregon City line,{{cite news |author= |title=Bus firm OKs option to buy 15 old streetcars |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 7, 1974 |page=6}} after the Toronto Transit Commission declined to renew TriMet's hold.{{cite news |last=Hobart |first=Sue |title=Tri-Met loses option to buy used streetcars |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 30, 1975 |page=D6 }} The Banfield Transitway received the transfer funds,{{cite web |url=https://blog.trimet.org/2021/12/10/the-death-of-the-mt-hood-freeway-and-the-birth-of-light-rail/ |title=The Death of the Mt. Hood Freeway and the Birth of MAX Light Rail |publisher=TriMet |date=December 10, 2021 |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112203458/https://blog.trimet.org/2021/12/10/the-death-of-the-mt-hood-freeway-and-the-birth-of-light-rail/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022}} and despite efforts from the Oregon Department of Transportation to build a busway,{{rp|13}} a light rail line was built.{{cite news |last=Hortsch |first=Dan |title=Tri-Met board votes to back Banfield light-rail project |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 27, 1978 |page=F1}}{{cite news |last=Alesko |first=Michael |title=CRAG endorses light rail plan |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 17, 1978 |page=D3}} The first segment of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) opened between Gresham and Portland on September 5, 1986.{{cite news |last=Federman |first=Stan |title=All aboard! MAX on track; ride free |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 5, 1986 |page=1}}

Several months before the inauguration of MAX, Metro, which replaced CRAG in 1979,{{cite web |last1=Abbott |first1=Carl |author-link=Carl Abbott (urban historian) |last2=Abbott |first2=Margery Post |title=Abbott: A history of Metro |publisher=Metro |date=May 1991 |page=12 |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/05/18/abbott-a_history_of_metro_may_1991.pdf |access-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410192932/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014/05/18/abbott-a_history_of_metro_may_1991.pdf |url-status=live }} revisited light rail plans for the Oregon City corridor via McLoughlin Boulevard, as well as proposed converting the partially realized I-205 busway into another light rail line.{{cite news |author= |title=Where's east side light rail going next? |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 3, 1986 |page=2}} By that time, however, TriMet had already begun planning for the formally designated "Westside Corridor" in Washington County.{{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}}{{cite report |author1=United States. Department of Transportation |author2=United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration |title=Westside Corridor Project, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Alternatives Analysis |date=March 1982 |publisher=Northwestern University |page=S-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNc3AQAAMAAJ |access-date=January 12, 2022 |via=Google Books |archive-date=September 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915035610/https://books.google.com/books?id=QNc3AQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }} Noting that federal funds could only be spent on one project at a time, Metro's Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) made the I-205 corridor their next priority after the Westside project and the McLoughlin Boulevard corridor third priority.{{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}} Clackamas County officials went on to dispute the federal money, including $17 million in excess funds that had been allocated to the 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}} To settle the issue, Metro released a regional transportation plan (RTP) that reasserted the Westside Corridor's priority in January 1989.{{cite news |last=Bodine |first=Harry |title=Metro OKs $1.5 billion transit plan |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 14, 1989 |page=D1}}

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

File:Lawn sign supporting 1998 ballot measure for TriMet's then-planned South-North MAX project (cropped1).jpg supporting the 1998 South/North ballot measure|alt=refer to caption]]

Despite priority given to the Westside Corridor, Metro's RTP commissioned studies for the I-205 and McLoughlin Boulevard corridors.{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=James |title=Tri-Met looks to the future: The success of MAX sparks dreams of expanding |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 9, 1989 |page=A1}} In September 1989, U.S. Senators and members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Brock Adams of Washington secured $2 million from the federal government to assess both segments. At the request of the senators, a segment farther north to Vancouver and Clark County in 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}} As the studies analyzed alternative routes, the project's advisory committee increasingly favored an alignment closer to downtown Portland 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}} In 1994, Metro finalized a {{convert|25|mi|km|adj=on}} light rail route from Hazel Dell, Washington through downtown Portland to Clackamas Town Center,{{cite news |last=Maves |first=Norm Jr. |title=25-mile route encompasses hundreds of steps |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 27, 1994 |page=1 }} which TriMet formally called the "South/North Corridor".{{cite web |title=Making History: 45 Years of Transit in the Portland Region |last=Selinger |first=Philip |date=2015 |publisher=TriMet |url=https://trimet.org/history/pdf/making-history.pdf |oclc=919377348 |access-date=July 26, 2018 |pages=80, 83–85 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509021212/https://trimet.org/pdfs/history/making-history.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite report |author1=United States. Federal Transit Administration |author2=Oregon. Metro |author3=Oregon. Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon |title=South Corridor Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project Final Environmental Impact Statement |date=October 2010 |publisher=TriMet |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/FEIS/FEIS_Vol1_Chapters.pdf |volume=1 |access-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302202346/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/FEIS/FEIS_Vol1_Chapters.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2019 |url-status=dead}}{{rp|S-1}}

In November that year, Metro asked Oregon voters in the Portland metropolitan area if they would authorize a $475 million bond measure, which would provide funding for Oregon's share of the project's estimated $2.8 billion cost. Nearly two-thirds of the voters said yes.{{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 }} To fund Washington's $237.5 million share, Clark County proposed raising sales and vehicle excise taxes by 0.3 percent, also requiring voter approval. On February 7, 1995, 69 percent of those who voted in Clark County rejected the proposed tax increases, halting the project.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Clark County turns down north–south light rail |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 8, 1995 |page=1 }}{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Light-rail rejection stirs doubt on project |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 9, 1995 |page=C1 }} Planning for the South/North Corridor resumed later that year when TriMet released a revision that scaled back the line's northern half by eliminating its North Portland and Clark County segments up to the Rose Quarter.{{cite news |last1=Oliver |first1=Gordon |last2=Stewart |first2=Bill |title=MAX may skip Clark County, N. Portland |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 1, 1995 |page=B1 }} To fill the funding gap that resulted from the exclusion of Clark County, the Oregon House of Representatives passed a $750 million transportation package, including $375 million for the project.{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Ashbel S. |last2=Mapes |first2=Jeff |title=Legislature is finally working on the railroad |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 4, 1995 |page=A1 }} The Oregon Supreme Court promptly struck down this funding due to the inclusion of unrelated measures, which violated the state's constitution.{{cite news |author= |title=Some light-rail history |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 7, 1996 |page=A8 }}{{cite news |last=Spicer |first=Osker |title=Light-rail expansion would be good for areas |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 31, 1996 |page=C2 }} In February 1996, state legislators revised the package, but light rail opponents forced a statewide vote in November that ultimately prevented the use of state funds.{{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 }}

In an effort to gain the support of North Portland residents, who had historically voted in favor of light rail, and to avoid seeking state funding,{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=South–North light-rail issue keeps on going |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 12, 1997 |page=A1 }} TriMet announced a third plan in February 1997 that proposed a {{convert|15|mi|km|0|adj=on}} line from Lombard Street in North Portland to Clackamas Town Center.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Returning to light rail |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 12, 1997 |page=A20 }} The Portland City Council later extended the alignment through North Portland so it would terminate another {{convert|1|mi|km}} north of Lombard Street in Kenton.{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Bill |title=Portland officially maps a South–North rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 19, 1998 |page=B3 }} In August, due to the wording on the original ballot passed in 1994, which described the line extending into Clark County, the TriMet board decided to hold another vote on a new $475 million bond measure.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Tri-Met will put rail plan on ballot |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 6, 1998 |page=B1 }} Portland area residents cast their vote on November 3, 1998, and rejected it by 52 percent, effectively canceling the project.{{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 }} Despite the South/North project's cancellation, North Portland residents and city business leaders continued to push for light rail.{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=New light-rail plan rises from the ashes |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 16, 1999 |page=1 }}{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Bill |title=Tri-Met involvement urged in north light-rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 25, 1999 |page=B3 }} In 1999, they urged TriMet to revive the northern portion of the South/North project,{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Gordon |title=Tri-Met adds detail to proposal to build light rail in north |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 3, 1999 |page=C2 }} which led to the Interstate MAX and Yellow Line opening in 2004.{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=The Yellow Line: Open for business |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 25, 2004 |page=B5 }}{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Yellow Line: They came, they rode, they offered opinions |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=May 4, 2004 |page=B1 }}

File:Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge Construction-2.jpg

In April 1999, JPACT revived plans for the I-205 and McLoughlin Boulevard corridors by announcing the $8.8 million South Corridor Transportation Study.{{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=Federal Transit Administration |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 |via=Google Books}}{{rp|S-6}} The committee published the study's report in October 2000, narrowing a range of transit alternatives for each corridor;{{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}} it outlined constructing either two light rail lines, a combination of one light rail line and one improved bus service, bus rapid transit, or dedicated bus lanes.{{rp|S-6}}{{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}} After public meetings concluded in 2003, JPACT recommended both light rail options.{{cite news |last=Oppenheimer |first=Laura |title=South Corridor MAX plan unveiled |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 17, 2003 |page=E1}} They decided the first MAX line to Clackamas County should be built along the I-205 busway from Gateway to Clackamas Town Center, and that this would be the first of two phases, the second of which would be a Portland–Milwaukie line via McLoughlin Boulevard.{{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}} While planning for the second phase, alignment studies within downtown Portland showed that a fourth service along the existing tracks on Morrison and Yamhill streets, then served by the Blue, Red, and Yellow lines, would push that segment to maximum capacity. JPACT responded by amending the first phase to include adding light rail to the Portland Transit Mall.{{cite report |publisher=Federal Transit Administration |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 |via=Google Books}}{{rp|P-2}}{{cite news |last=Leeson |first=Fred |title=Light-rail line likely addition to transit mall |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=April 15, 2003 |page=B1}} The first phase would be completed in 2009, with the transit mall rebuilt with light rail and the Yellow Line rerouted to it in August.{{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 }} The I-205 segment would open the following month with a new Green Line service.{{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}}{{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 }}

In July 2008, Metro adopted a locally preferred alternative (LPA) route for the second-phased Portland–Milwaukie line that began at the southern end of the Portland Transit Mall and terminated at Southeast Park Avenue in Oak Grove, just south of Milwaukie proper in unincorporated Clackamas County; the alignment was extended beyond Southeast Lake Road in downtown Milwaukie,{{cite report |title=South Corridor Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project Locally Preferred Alternative Report |publisher=Metro |date=July 24, 2008 |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/LPA_Report.pdf |access-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302201539/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/LPA_Report.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2019}}{{rp|6}} which had been the terminus in the 2003 LPA.{{rp|S-7, S-11}} The 2008 LPA also proposed a new bridge that would carry MAX and the Portland Streetcar over the Willamette River, in lieu of the Hawthorne Bridge, amid 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}}{{cite news |last=Mortenson |first=Eric |date=May 2, 2008 |title=Panel realigns route of new light-rail span |newspaper=The Oregonian |page=D1}} This new bridge had been proposed to run between RiverPlace on the west end and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on the east end, but the 2008 LPA introduced a new alternative that moved its west end farther south to the South Waterfront.{{rp|6–9}} The new bridge would accommodate only transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians,{{cite web |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=TriMet board gives greenlight to Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail bridge funding |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=December 8, 2010 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2010/12/trimet_approves_portland-milwa.html |access-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083400/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2010/12/trimet_approves_portland-milwa.html |url-status=live }} and spanning {{convert|1720|ft|m}},{{cite magazine |last1=Smit |first1=Norman |last2=Goodyear |first2=David |last3=Beier |first3=Aaron |title=Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People: New light-rail structure over the Willamette River to open in the fall of 2015 |magazine=Aspire |date=Spring 2015 |page=21 |url=http://www.aspirebridge.com/magazine/2015Spring/Project-TilikumCrossing-Spring2015.pdf |access-date=May 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122161029/http://www.aspirebridge.com/magazine/2015Spring/Project-TilikumCrossing-Spring2015.pdf |archive-date=January 22, 2021}} it would become the largest "car-free" bridge in the country upon completion.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Rose (journalist) |title=Construction begins on new light-rail bridge in Portland that will go up 'piece by piece' |date=June 29, 2011 |newspaper=The Oregonian |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/06/construction_begins_thursday_o.html |access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083403/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2011/06/construction_begins_thursday_o.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/68548 |title=Tilikum Crossing: Bridge of the People |publisher=City of Portland, Oregon |access-date=May 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225221031/https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/68548 |archive-date=February 25, 2021}} The project's final environmental impact statement was published in October 2010.

The Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project was budgeted at $1.49 billion, of which federal funding covered $745.2 million under the New Starts program.{{cite web |title=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project Portland, Oregon |publisher=Federal Transit Administration |date=December 2017 |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/funding/grant-programs/capital-investments/69721/or-portland-milwaukee-project-fy19-profile.pdf |access-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083354/https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/funding/grant-programs/capital-investments/69721/or-portland-milwaukee-project-fy19-profile.pdf |url-status=live }} Despite TriMet's request for a 60-percent federal share, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) only committed 50 percent, lower than any previous MAX project.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Feds say Portland-Milwaukie MAX line must settle for 50-50 funding |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 26, 2010 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2010/07/feds_say_portland-milwaukie_ma.html |access-date=September 30, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083509/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2010/07/feds_say_portland-milwaukie_ma.html |url-status=live }} Oregon provided the second-largest share at $355.2 million, mostly sourced from state lottery bond proceeds. Metro, TriMet, Clackamas County, Portland, Milwaukie, and in-kind property donations contributed $249.3 million to the remaining local-match funds. TriMet and the FTA entered into a funding agreement in May 2012. Clackamas County had originally agreed to allocate $25 million to the project but later negotiated a reduction to $22.6 million due to Measure 3-401,{{cite news |last=Zheng |first=Yuxing |title=County OKs controversial funding for light-rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 24, 2012 }} an anti-light rail initiative that light rail opponents placed on the ballot. The measure stipulated voter approval before officials could use county funds to finance, design, construct, or operate rail lines in the county.{{cite news |last=Zheng |first=Yuxing |title=County looks at ways to fight MAX measure |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 9, 2012 }} On September 18, 2012, Measure 3-401 passed with 60 percent of the vote.{{cite news |last=Zheng |first=Yuxing |title=Clackamas County anti-rail measure passes comfortably; effect could resonate for decades |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/index.ssf/2012/09/clackamas_county_anti-rail_mea.html |newspaper=The Oregonian |access-date=February 22, 2016 |date=September 18, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083522/http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/index.ssf/2012/09/clackamas_county_anti-rail_mea.html |url-status=live }} Afterwards, Clackamas County attempted to end its involvement with the project, appealing to TriMet to terminate the extension at SE Tacoma/Johnson Creek station, just north of the county line. TriMet filed a lawsuit, and in July 2013, a circuit court upheld the county's financial obligation and the project's continuation.{{rp|95–96}}

File:MAX Orange Line Opening Day at Milwaukie Main St station.jpg

On April 5, 2011, the FTA approved the start of the Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project's final design,{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Joseph|title=Feds approve design for Portland-Milwaukie light rail line|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=March 29, 2011|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/03/feds_give_design_for_portland-.html|access-date=April 5, 2011|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083427/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2011/03/feds_give_design_for_portland-.html|url-status=live}} which meant TriMet could begin purchasing rights-of-way and construction materials.{{cite news |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=13062&cHash=7b7f98a97f |title=Portland light rail extension starts final design |access-date=April 5, 2011 |date=April 5, 2011 |magazine=Railway Gazette International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408015951/http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=13062&cHash=7b7f98a97f |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Construction began on June 30, initially limited to the site of the new Willamette River crossing, which was temporarily named the "Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge".{{cite web |title=Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge Fact Sheet |date=August 2012 |publisher=TriMet |url=http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR_Bridge_Fact_Sheet_August2012.pdf |access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083355/http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR_Bridge_Fact_Sheet_August2012.pdf |url-status=live }} Utility relocation and other preparation work along the project route began later that year.{{cite news |last=Fehrenbacher |first=Lee |title=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project construction passes 1-year mark |publisher=Daily Journal of Commerce |date=July 5, 2012 |url=https://djcoregon.com/news/2012/07/05/portland-milwaukie-light-rail-project-construction-passes-1-year-mark/ |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083515/https://djcoregon.com/news/2012/07/05/portland-milwaukie-light-rail-project-construction-passes-1-year-mark/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author= |title=Portland-Milwaukie light rail construction to impact traffic |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 8, 2012 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2012/10/portland-milwaukie_light_rail.html |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083357/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2012/10/portland-milwaukie_light_rail.html |url-status=live }} By 2013, major light rail construction work had started in Clackamas County.{{cite news |last=Bamesberger |first=Michael |title=It's the year of heavy light rail construction in Clackamas County |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 23, 2013 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/milwaukie/2013/03/2013_is_the_year_of_heavy_cons.html |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083517/https://www.oregonlive.com/milwaukie/2013/03/2013_is_the_year_of_heavy_cons.html |url-status=live }} Safety improvements were made at several street-level crossings in Southeast Portland and Milwaukie, allowing these areas to be designated quiet zones where freight and MAX trains do not have to use their horns when crossing an intersection.{{cite web |title=Stay safe near the new MAX Orange Line |url=http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Safety/Safety_Fact_Sheet_Mar2015.pdf |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 5, 2015 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083400/http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Safety/Safety_Fact_Sheet_Mar2015.pdf |url-status=live }} The project was halfway completed by July 2013.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=TriMet announces opening date for Portland-Milwaukie light rail line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 26, 2013 |page=B3 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/07/trimet_announces_opening_date.html |access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083437/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2013/07/trimet_announces_opening_date.html |url-status=live }} In April 2014, TriMet officially named the new bridge "Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People", which it selected from over 9,500 public submissions.{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2014/04/tillicum_crossing_new_portland.html |title=Tilikum Crossing: New Portland bridge named after Chinook word for 'people' |last=Rose |first=Joseph |date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |newspaper=The Oregonian |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083443/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2014/04/tillicum_crossing_new_portland.html |url-status=live }} The agency purchased 18 new Siemens S70 light rail vehicles, designated "Type 5"; the first car arrived in Portland that September.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=TriMet's first new 'Type 5' MAX light-rail vehicle has rolled into Portland (or has it?) |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=September 30, 2014 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2014/09/trimets_first_new_type_5_max_t.html |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083407/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2014/09/trimets_first_new_type_5_max_t.html |url-status=live }} When construction finished the following year, the line was around $40 million under budget. A petition from Senator Jeff Merkley led the FTA to approve previously eliminated project elements such as switch heaters and additional station shelters, at a total cost of $3.6 million.{{cite news|last1=Fetsch|first1=Mary|title=MAX Orange Line – on time and under budget|url=http://news.trimet.org/2015/03/max-orange-line-on-time-and-under-budget/|access-date=April 5, 2015|publisher=TriMet|date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725003038/http://news.trimet.org/2015/03/max-orange-line-on-time-and-under-budget/|url-status=live}}

On May 15, 2015, the first public train ride, which carried 500 passengers including Governor Kate Brown and Senator Merkley, ran at regular operating speed along the entirety of the {{convert|7.3|mi|km|adj=on}} Portland–Milwaukie extension.{{cite news|last1=Tomlinson|first1=Stuart|title=Gov. Kate Brown, 500 others are first passengers on MAX's new Orange line|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/05/gov_brown_400_others_are_first.html|access-date=May 18, 2015|work=The Oregonian|date=May 15, 2015|archive-date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517174844/http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/05/gov_brown_400_others_are_first.html|url-status=live}} On August 30, test trains began running along the entire Orange Line route, ahead of the following month's opening date.{{cite web|date=August 28, 2015|title=MAX Orange Line to begin test runs|url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/08/max-orange-line-to-begin-test-runs|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083435/https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/08/max-orange-line-to-begin-test-runs|archive-date=January 5, 2021|access-date=August 29, 2015|magazine=Trains}} The extension opened for service on September 12 at 11 am.{{cite web|title=Fall 2015 Service Improvements |url=http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm |publisher=TriMet |access-date=September 1, 2015 |date=August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927203752/http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2015 }}{{cite news |last=Njus |first=Elliot |date=September 12, 2015 |title=The wait's over: TriMet's Orange Line, Tilikum Crossing up and running |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/09/orange_line_tilikum_crossing_o_1.html |newspaper=The Oregonian |access-date=September 18, 2015 |archive-date=August 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801190516/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/09/orange_line_tilikum_crossing_o_1.html |url-status=live }} The Orange Line became interlined with the Yellow Line when it took over service of the southbound 5th Avenue segment of the Portland Transit Mall. TriMet said separating the services would allow it to better control service frequencies from North Portland and Milwaukie to downtown Portland because it expected higher ridership of the Orange Line and that few riders from these communities would travel beyond the city center.{{cite web |url=http://howweroll.trimet.org/2015/06/19/you-asked-how-will-max-orange-line-work-in-downtown-portland/ |last=Lum |first=Brian |title=You asked: How will the Orange Line work in downtown Portland? |publisher=TriMet |date=June 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026140806/http://howweroll.trimet.org/2015/06/19/you-asked-how-will-max-orange-line-work-in-downtown-portland/ |archive-date=October 26, 2015 |url-status=dead}}

{{See also|Portland Transit Mall}}

File:Type 2 MAX train on TriMet bus and light-rail viaduct over Harbor Drive and River Pkwy (2019).jpg

The Orange Line serves the {{convert|7.3|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} Portland–Milwaukie extension.{{efn|name=length}} Orange Line service begins farther north of the Portland–Milwaukie segment at Union Station/NW 5th & Glisan station near Portland Union Station in downtown Portland, where southbound Yellow Line trains operate through into the Orange Line to serve the 5th Avenue segment of the Portland Transit Mall. Conversely, northbound Orange Line trains operate through into the Yellow Line to serve the 6th Avenue segment of the transit mall.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/r290text.htm |title=MAX Orange Line Route Description |publisher=TriMet |access-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108150717/https://trimet.org/schedules/r290text.htm |archive-date=January 8, 2021}}{{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/20200702181251/https://trimet.org/maps/pdf/citycenter.pdf |archive-date=July 2, 2020}} Just south of the PSU South stations, the Portland-Milwaukie segment begins where tracks travel east along the median of Lincoln Street to a stop on 3rd Avenue. From here, the line continues east along Lincoln to an elevated viaduct after an intersection with Naito Parkway.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Lincoln_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |title=Lincoln Street/SW 3rd Ave Station |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2014 |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083408/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Lincoln_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |url-status=live }} The viaduct carries the line over Harbor Drive and River Parkway to the South Waterfront, where tracks merge with those of the Portland Streetcar's A and B Loop. The lines then cross the Willamette River on Tilikum Crossing.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR_Structures_Oct2013.pdf |title=Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project Structures |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2013 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083412/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR_Structures_Oct2013.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_South_Waterfront_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |title=South Waterfront/SW Moody Ave Station |date=October 2014 |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083436/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_South_Waterfront_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |url-status=live }}

On the opposite end of Tilikum Crossing in Southeast Portland, the streetcar tracks diverge near OMSI. The MAX tracks turn southeast and run parallel to the Union Pacific Railroad (UP).Google Maps coordinates:

• {{Google Maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/45%C2%B029'55.9%22N+122%C2%B038'53.6%22W/@45.4988592,-122.6495154,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d45.498857!4d-122.6482143 |title=45°29'55.9"N 122°38'53.6"W |access-date=January 20, 2020}}
• {{Google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/OMSI%2FSE+Water+MAX+Station/@45.5060405,-122.662154,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x54950a722dc8a09d:0xd76515bef8cb8a74!8m2!3d45.5066091!4d-122.6627418 |title=OMSI/SE Water MAX Station |access-date=January 20, 2020}}
• {{Google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/SE+Park+Ave+MAX+Station/@45.4305535,-122.6351821,17.63z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x549574e420330491:0xef6a0f04e6475a08!8m2!3d45.430734!4d-122.6350647 |title=SE Park Ave MAX Station |access-date=January 17, 2020}} A stop is located near the intersection of Clinton Street and 12th Avenue.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Clinton_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |title=Clinton/SE 12th Ave Station |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083403/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Clinton_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |url-status=live }} At 17th Avenue, the line turns south and runs along the median of 17th Avenue with stops at Holgate Boulevard and Rhine Street.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_17th_Ave_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |title=SE 17th Avenue: Holgate Boulevard and Rhine Street stations |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083521/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_17th_Ave_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |url-status=live }} It exits the median just north of McLoughlin Boulevard and continues parallel to this road, the Portland and Western Railroad, and UP through to Milwaukie, with stops at Bybee Boulevard and Tacoma Street.{{cite report |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/LPA_Report.pdf |title=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project Locally Preferred Alternative Report |publisher=Metro |date=July 24, 2008 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302201539/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/LPA_Report.pdf |url-status=live }}{{rp|15–16}} After a stop at Main Street in downtown Milwaukie,{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Milwaukie_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |title=Milwaukie/Main Street station area |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083410/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Milwaukie_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014 |url-status=live }} the line traverses the Kellogg Bridge across Kellogg Lake to 22nd Avenue. From here, the tracks leave the viaduct and again travel at-grade alongside McLoughlin Boulevard to a three-track stub terminal at Park Avenue in Oak Grove, just south of Milwaukie proper.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Park_Ave_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014.pdf |title=SE Park Ave Station Area |publisher=TriMet |date=October 2014 |access-date=May 18, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083410/https://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/stations/Station-Area-Fact-Sheets/PMLR_Park_Ave_Fact_Sheet_Oct2014.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{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/Orange Line}}|text=A geographic map of the MAX Orange Line (in red) relative to the rest of the network (in black) with icons marking the line's termini. The official system schematic can be viewed on the TriMet website.}}

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

Ten stations were built as part of the Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project, from Lincoln St/SW 3rd Ave to SE Park Ave. The Orange Line serves the stations along the Portland–Milwaukie segment, as well as the seven stations along the southbound 5th Avenue segment of the Portland Transit Mall in downtown Portland, where it interlines with the Green Line. Transfers to the Yellow Line, which runs northbound from PSU South station to Expo Center station in North Portland, can be made at any of the seven stations along the transit mall's 6th Avenue segment, although most northbound Orange Line trains operate through to the Yellow Line.

Riders can transfer to the Blue and Red lines by alighting at Pioneer Place/SW 5th station and boarding at the Pioneer Square stations one block west. The Orange Line also connects to Amtrak at Union Station/NW 5th & Glisan station; to the Portland Streetcar at the PSU Urban Center/SW 5th & Mill and OMSI/SE Water stations;{{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 to Frequent Express (FX),{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/betterbus/servicechanges-fy23.htm |title=2022–23 Transit Service Improvements |publisher=TriMet |access-date=September 16, 2022 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163501/https://trimet.org/betterbus/servicechanges-fy23.htm |url-status=live }} local, and intercity bus services at several stops.

In 2015, as part of a future pilot program to test the Hop Fastpass automated fare collection system, TriMet proposed installing turnstiles through which passengers would access paid fare zones within the SE Bybee Blvd and SE Park Ave stations.{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Fare turnstiles coming to Portland-Milwaukie MAX stations |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 20, 2015 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2015/03/trimet_turnstiles_orange_line.html |access-date=August 6, 2019 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083412/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2015/03/trimet_turnstiles_orange_line.html |url-status=live }} {{As of|2019}}, these plans have not been enacted.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/2018-11-14/ord-351.pdf |title=Ordinance 351 of the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) Amending TriMet Code Chapter 29 and Updating Procedures for Requests for Proof of Payment (Second Reading) |date=November 14, 2018 |publisher=TriMet |access-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302150527/https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/2018-11-14/ord-351.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2019}}{{rp|6–7}}{{cite news |last=Theen |first=Andrew |title=TriMet ends ad campaign intended as a 'friendly reminder' to pay fares, cites negative reactions |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 13, 2019 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/11/trimet-ends-ad-campaign-intended-as-a-friendly-reminder-to-pay-fares-following-shaming-controversy.html |access-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127090330/https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/11/trimet-ends-ad-campaign-intended-as-a-friendly-reminder-to-pay-fares-following-shaming-controversy.html |archive-date=November 27, 2020}} Many stations along the Orange Line have public artwork, commissioned as part of TriMet's public art program.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/publicart/pdf/orangeline-guide.pdf |title=TriMet MAX Orange Line Public Art Guide |publisher=TriMet |date=2015 |access-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302153224/https://trimet.org/publicart/pdf/orangeline-guide.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2019}}{{rp|7}}

{{Gallery

| title = Images of MAX Orange Line stations

| align = center

| footer =

| style =

| state =

| height =

| width =

| captionstyle =

| File:Union Station NW 5th & Glisan SB MAX station - Portland, Oregon.JPG

| Union Station/Northwest 5th & Glisan station, where most southbound Yellow Line trains switch to Orange Line service

| alt1=The platform of Union Station/NW 5th & Glisan station with riders waiting near the shelter and the Portland Union Station clock tower in the background

| File:SE Bybee Blvd MAX station with northbound train, viewed from Bybee Bridge (2019).jpg

| SE Bybee Blvd station

| alt2=A MAX train stopped at SE Bybee Blvd station seen from above on the Bybee Bridge

| File:SE Park Ave Station (21178179993).jpg

| SE Park Ave station, the Orange Line's southern terminus

| alt3=A MAX train stopped on the middle tracks of SE Park Ave station

}}

File:MAX Orange Line train on SE 17th Ave passing TriMet's Center Street Operations HQ (2019).jpg

{{As of|May 2021}}, the Orange Line operates for approximately 20{{frac|1|2}} hours per day. On weekdays, the first train arrives as a southbound service at Union Station/NW 5th & Glisan station at 5:02 am. The first northbound train departs SE Park Ave station at 6:14 am. End-to-end travel takes approximately 35 minutes.MAX Orange Line schedules:

• For weekdays to Milwaukie: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1290_1.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Weekday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510184611/https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1290_1.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For weekdays to Portland City Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1290_0.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Weekday To Portland City Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510184705/https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1290_0.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Saturday, to Milwaukie: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1290_1.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Saturday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510184835/https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1290_1.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Saturdays to Portland City Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1190_0.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Saturday To Portland City Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510184924/https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1290_0.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Sundays to Milwaukie: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1290_1.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Sunday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510185058/https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1290_1.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Sundays to Portland City Center: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1190_0.pdf |title=MAX Orange Line, Sunday To Portland City Center |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510185136/https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1290_0.pdf |url-status=live }} During peak hours, some Orange Line trains do not become Yellow Line trains; they loop back along the Transit Mall and return to Milwaukie. This is due to higher projected ridership along the Orange Line than the Yellow Line. The last Milwaukie-bound train departs Union Station/NW 5th & Glisan station at 12:02 am and the last Portland City Center-bound train departs SE Park Ave station at 12:56 am. Service shifts slightly to an earlier schedule on weekends. TriMet designates the Orange Line as a "Frequent Service" route, running on a headway of 15 minutes during most of the day. Service is less frequent in the early mornings and late evenings, with headways of up to 30 minutes.{{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}} In the late evenings, the Orange Line is replaced by TriMet bus route 291–Orange Night Bus, which runs south from downtown Portland to Milwaukie following the Orange Line route. Two trips run on weekdays and one trip runs on Saturdays and Sundays.{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/r291.htm |title=291–Orange Night Bus |publisher=TriMet |access-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083405/https://trimet.org/schedules/r291.htm |url-status=live }}291–Orange Night Bus schedules:
• For weekdays: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1291_0.pdf |title=291–Orange Night Bus, Weekday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083404/https://trimet.org/schedules/w/t1291_0.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Saturdays: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1291_0.pdf |title=291–Orange Night Bus, Saturday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083413/https://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1291_0.pdf |url-status=live }}
• For Sundays: {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1291_0.pdf |title=291–Orange Night Bus, Sunday To Milwaukie |publisher=TriMet |access-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083417/https://trimet.org/schedules/h/t1291_0.pdf |url-status=live }}

The Orange Line is the least-busy MAX service. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, service averaged 3,480 riders on weekdays in September 2020,{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2020/Sep20%20MPR.pdf |title=September 2020 Monthly Performance Report |publisher=TriMet |access-date=May 8, 2021 |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508185620/https://trimet.org/about/pdf/2020/Sep20%20MPR.pdf |url-status=live }} down from 11,500 for the same month in 2019.{{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 }} Forecasts that were used to help justify federal funding for the project predicted an average of 17,000 weekday trips in 2016 but by October of that year, the Orange Line was averaging fewer than 11,000 passengers.{{cite news |last=Njus |first=Elliot |title=Predicted riders not showing up |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 16, 2016 |page=A4 }}

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{{Commons category|MAX Orange Line}}

• {{Cite web|url=https://trimet.org/schedules/maxorangeline.htm |title=MAX Orange Line |publisher=TriMet}}
• {{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/history/orangeline/library/index.htm |title=Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Library |publisher=TriMet |access-date=2020-10-09 |archive-date=2019-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302192856/http://trimet.org/history/orangeline/library/index.htm |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/portland-milwaukie-light-rail-project |title=Portland–Milwaukie Light Rail Project |publisher=Metro}}

{{Portland Transit}}

Category:2015 establishments in Oregon

Orange Line

Category:Rail lines in Oregon

Category:Railway lines opened in 2015