Portland Airport
MAX Light Rail station
The station's platform in 2011
General information
Other namesAirport
Location7000 NE Airport Way
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°35′15″N 122°35′35″W / 45.58750°N 122.59306°W / 45.58750; -122.59306
Owned byTriMet
Line(s) Red Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingPaid parking nearby
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedSeptember 10, 2001
Passengers
Spring 20231,705 weekday boardings[1]
Services
Preceding station TriMet Following station
Mount Hood Avenue
towards Beaverton Transit Center
 Red Line Terminus
Location

Portland Airport, formerly just Airport, is a light rail station in Portland, Oregon, United States, served by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. Serving Portland International Airport, it is the eastern terminus of the Red Line, which connects the airport, downtown Portland, and Beaverton. The station is located at the ground floor of the airport's main passenger terminal near the southern end of the arrivals hall and baggage claim area.

Portland Airport station was built as part of the Airport MAX project. Construction began in July 2000, and it opened on September 10, 2001. Trains serve the station for 22 hours daily with headways of 15 minutes during most of the day. It recorded an average of 1,705 weekday boardings in spring 2023.

History

Portland's regional transit agency, TriMet, had served Portland International Airport with bus routes since 1970.[2] In 1986,[3] the same year TriMet began operating the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX), planners from the Portland metropolitan area's regional government, Metro, proposed a light rail extension to the airport.[4][5] Early plans envisioned a line running from Clackamas to the airport via Interstate 205 (I-205) using rights-of-way provided by the I-205 busway,[6] which was originally built to accommodate a bus rapid transit line that never operated.[7][8]

In 1991, the Port of Portland adopted a multi-phased, $300 million airport master plan to address expected passenger traffic growth through 2010.[9] The plan upgraded the main passenger terminal building and provisioned for a future light rail station outside the terminal's arrivals hall.[10][11] By 1994, travelers using the airport had risen by 34 percent, far exceeding the Port's projections.[12] Struggling to meet demand, Port officials moved to accelerate airport light rail plans, which regional planners did not anticipate pursuing until the late 2000s. TriMet had also wanted to prioritize completing the Westside MAX and South/North Corridor projects before extending MAX to the airport.[12][13]

In 1996, engineering firm Bechtel approached the Port with an unsolicited proposal to build the airport line.[14] After negotiations between Bechtel, the Port, and local jurisdictions, Bechtel was granted the design–build contract for the light rail extension in exchange for development rights to the 120-acre (48.6 ha) Portland International Center, the largest commercially zoned property in Portland at the time.[15] Bechtel later developed this property and renamed it Cascade Station.[16] The Port projected the airport terminal station to cost $8.4 million and allocated a $3 ticket fee to fund its construction.[17] Delta Airlines, Reno Air, and United Airlines protested the use of ticket fees but the Federal Aviation Administration authorized it in May 1999.[18][19] Construction of the Airport MAX extension commenced the following month.[20] Hoffman Construction began building the station's platform in July 2000 and by August, Stacy and Witbeck had started to lay the 3,000 ft (914.4 m) of rail along the segment closest to the terminal.[17]

On September 10, 2001, the station opened along with the entire Airport MAX extension that introduced Red Line service between downtown Portland and the airport.[21][22] Celebrations planned for the following weekend were canceled following the September 11 attacks, and the airport was closed for three days.[23][24] Planners projected single-car trains to initially serve Portland International Airport station but TriMet deployed two-car consists on the line after recording 3,800 riders over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2001.[17][25] In September 2003, TriMet extended Red Line service farther west using the existing Westside MAX tracks to Beaverton Transit Center. This was done in an effort to provide a one-seat ride to the airport for westside riders.[26] In 2006, the station handled more than one million passengers in a single year for the first time.[27]

TriMet had reintroduced bus service to the airport with the 272–PDX Night Bus route on September 2, 2018. The bus route ran in the late night and early morning hours when the Red Line was not operating.[28][29] It was indefinitely suspended on April 5, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[30]

2023 renovation

On June 18, 2023, TriMet temporarily ceased MAX Red Line service from Portland Airport station to Gateway Transit Center to make way for the renovation.[31] The newly renovated Portland Airport station opened on October 22, 2023.[32][33]

Station details

Trains bound for Portland Airport station display "Airport", as shown on a former rollsign-type destination sign
Westbound ←  Red Line toward Beaverton Transit Center (Mount Hood Avenue)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Westbound ←  Red Line toward Beaverton Transit Center (Mount Hood Avenue)

Portland Airport station's platform is situated at ground level just outside the main passenger terminal, near the southernmost entrance, and within 150 ft (45.7 m) of the baggage claim area.[21][34] Prior to the 2023 renovation, it featured a wedge-shaped island platform and a glass canopy designed by ZGF Architects.[35] The rebuilt platform is rectangular.[36] An 80-seat station lobby is located inside the terminal and has ticket vending machines and real-time displays showing train departure times.[37] The station occupies the end of a single-track section of the Airport MAX segment; the only other such section on the MAX system is located on another segment of the Airport MAX near Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center.[38]

Public art

Public art pieces commissioned for the Airport MAX Project have a common theme of "flight".[39] The station houses one art installation as part of TriMet's Public Art Program, which is funded at 1.5 percent of a project's total cost.[13][39] Time Flies by Christine Bourdette is a large, porcelain enamel mural that is displayed on a wall between the station platform and the baggage claim area. The work is described as "a sequence of images related to time and motion". Bourdette also installed bronze rails that lead passengers from the escalators to the platform and blue chevrons on the platform pavement to depict movement.[40][41]

Services

Portland International Airport station is served by TriMet's MAX Red Line, which connects the airport to Northeast Portland, Portland City Center, and central Beaverton.[13] In spring 2023, the station recorded an average of 1,705 boardings on weekdays.[1] The day's first train arrives from Beaverton Transit Center. The last three westbound trips travel eastbound to Ruby Junction/East 197th Avenue station as through services of the Blue Line. Headway between trains varies from 15 minutes for most of the day to 30 minutes during the early mornings and late evenings. Services operate on all days of the week and are the most frequent on weekdays.[42][43] Trains from the station take approximately 40 minutes to reach Pioneer Square in downtown Portland—where transfers to all lines are available—and approximately 65 minutes to reach the other end of the line at Beaverton Transit Center.[43]

References

  1. 1 2 "TriMet MAX Light Rail Passenger Census – Spring 2023" (PDF). TriMet. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Tri-Met Expands Bus Service, Including Trips To Airport". The Oregonian. October 23, 1970. p. 25.
  3. ↑ Stewart, Bill (August 31, 2001). "Most Tri-Met fares rise Saturday, while route switches start Sept. 9". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  4. ↑ Kohler, Vince (March 27, 1986). "Metro study group finds interest in light-rail line along I-205". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  5. ↑ Bodine, Harry (September 30, 1987). "Light rail expansion backed by officials". The Oregonian. p. B12.
  6. ↑ Mayer, James (April 9, 1989). "Tri-Met looks to the future: The success of MAX sparks dreams of expanding". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  7. ↑ Hortsch, Dan (October 7, 1976). "I-205 section passes test for final approval". The Oregonian. p. E12.
  8. ↑ Redden, Jim (September 10, 2009). "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". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ Mayes, Steve (April 11, 1991). "Portland's airport for the future only needs a $300 million ticket". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  10. ↑ Sturtz, Paul (June 3, 1991). "Airport ready to take off on $300 million expansion". Portland Business Journal. p. 1A.
  11. ↑ Hamburg, Ken (December 10, 1992). "Port of Portland speeds pace of airport terminal expansion". The Oregonian. p. E10.
  12. 1 2 Marks, Anita (February 25, 1994). "Airport struggles with runaway growth". Portland Business Journal. p. 1.
  13. 1 2 3 "Airport MAX Red Line" (PDF). TriMet. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ Oliver, Gordon (January 22, 1997). "Port wants MAX to run to airport". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  15. ↑ Selinger, Philip (2015). "Making History: 45 Years of Transit in the Portland Region" (PDF). TriMet. p. 82. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  16. ↑ Rose, Michael (December 19, 1997). "PDX light rail may lead to south-north line". Portland Business Journal. p. 1.
  17. 1 2 3 Stewart, Bill (July 10, 2000). "Airport's MAX station will be special". The Oregonian. p. E4.
  18. ↑ Gordon, Oliver (December 12, 1998). "3 airlines oppose light-rail money". The Oregonian. p. C1.
  19. ↑ Stewart, Bill (May 29, 1999). "Ruling: Port ticket fees can finance 'Air MAX'". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  20. ↑ Stewart, Bill (June 17, 1999). "Light-rail line to PDX starting to take shape". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  21. 1 2 "MAX trains begin airport service". Portland Business Journal. September 10, 2001. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  22. ↑ Oliver, Gordon (September 11, 2001). "Portland now 'the city that moves', mayor says [opening of MAX Red Line]". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  23. ↑ "History cancels PDX party". The Oregonian. September 15, 2001. p. D8.
  24. ↑ Rose, Joseph (September 17, 2001). "Even anti-noise advocates happy to hear airplanes again". The Oregonian. p. E6.
  25. ↑ "About town: Riders keep Airport MAX busy Thanksgiving weekend". The Oregonian. November 27, 2001. p. D2.
  26. ↑ Leeson, Fred (August 27, 2003). "MAX fares increase, direct service from Beaverton to PDX starts". The Oregonian. p. D2.
  27. ↑ "Holiday travelers ride Red Line to PDX; Thanksgiving busiest travel time for Airport MAX". TriMet. November 13, 2006. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2007.
  28. ↑ Theen, Andrew (August 30, 2018). "New TriMet bus, MAX additions create all-night service to PDX". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018.
  29. ↑ "272–PDX Night Bus". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  30. ↑ Hanson, Nate (March 27, 2020). "TriMet to alter schedules for buses, trains after ridership drops 47% during coronavirus pandemic". KGW. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  31. ↑ Redden, Jim (June 13, 2023). "TriMet: Airport travelers brace for four-month MAX Red Line disruption". KOIN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  32. ↑ Olson, Karli (October 22, 2023). "MAX Red Line back to full service with new, modern airport station". KPTV. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  33. ↑ @trimet (October 20, 2023). "📣 📣 MAX Red Line service between Gateway Transit Center and Portland International Airport will resume on Sunday, Oct. 22!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ↑ "Stop ID 10579 - Portland Int'l Airport MAX Station". TriMet. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  35. ↑ Gragg, Randy (May 28, 2000). "Airport canopy works, but not as it could; the structure signals an end to the worst phase of construction but it could – and should – have been done better". The Oregonian. p. F4.
  36. ↑ Slovic, Beth (October 22, 2023). "TriMet reopens MAX Red Line to PDX after 4-month disruption". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Portland International Airport, MAX Light Rail Line and Station, Portland, Oregon". ZGF Architects LLP. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  38. ↑ "MAX Red Line Improvements Project". TriMet. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  39. 1 2 "Public Art". TriMet. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Public Art on MAX Red Line". TriMet. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Permanent Art – PDX Art". Port of Portland. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Frequent Service". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  43. 1 2 "MAX Red Line Schedules". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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