Not all vehicles purchased yet as Red Line steals passengers from Blue Line

Rep. John Ley 
for Clark County Today

How much does a mile of light rail cost? That was the start of a deeper dive into TriMet’s MAX extension into Washington County, followed by digging into all Better Red project costs.

Almost a year ago, TriMet celebrated the ribbon cutting for its “Better Red” light rail project. There were three parts to it – a 10-mile extension from Beaverton to Hillsboro; an upgrade to its east Portland Gateway Transit Center; and the addition of a second train track going to/from the Portland airport. 

TriMet spent $204 million on the project, originally budgeted for $215 million. It was supposed to include the purchase of four new Siemens light rail vehicles (LRV) for $4.47 million each. Yet as of March 2025, TriMet has only spent 62.5 percent of the LRV funds, or $11.2 million. How many vehicles has it actually purchased for the new service?

Funding was supposed to come from the following sources: 

• $104 million TriMet
• $99.9 million Federal Transit Administration Small Starts
• $8.9 million Regional Flexible Funds administered by Metro
• $2.2 million Port of Portland

This is of interest to Clark County residents as the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) is proposing a 1.8-mile, $2 billion MAX light rail extension into Vancouver. TriMet is demanding 19 new light rail vehicles as part of the program, in addition to $21.6 million in “new revenues” (taxes) from both Oregon and Washington taxpayers to cover operations and maintenance of light rail. The plan includes two new light rail stations in Vancouver, one 80-90 feet above the ground at the waterfront, and the other at Evergreen.

Last year, TriMet told Clark County Today: 

“On the east side, we did add an additional set of tracks near PDX and Gateway Transit Center, along with new bridges to carry southbound trains over I-84 and Union Pacific Railroad tracks north of Gateway, which increases reliability. The Portland International MAX Station was given a full renovation. The break facility at the new end of the line for the MAX Red Line, at Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport Station, for operators, field staff and safety & security staff was rebuilt and expanded. And there’s the new station that we built, Gateway North, which serves trains coming from Portland International Airport.’’

Clark County Today asked how many additional riders TriMet was forecasting will use the Red Line because of the “Better Red?” What, if any, will be the impact on ridership on the Blue Line?

“We have not run new numbers since the pandemic, and a ridership forecast was not required for a Small Starts project,” said TriMet spokesman Tyler Graf. “Nonetheless, the extension will add more MAX capacity in a growing part of Washington County that experienced overcrowding pre-pandemic.”

TriMet’s reports show the Red Line added just over 4,000 boardings daily in the 9 months it has been operating. Yet Blue Line ridership dropped by just over 5,000 boardings. It would appear the Better Red is taking riders away from the Blue Line. The Red Line carries almost double what the Yellow Line carries.

A public records request was submitted to TriMet in May seeking cost details for all three components of the project. I had hoped to reveal the cost of an average light rail station, the cost for a mile of track, etc.

The response showed 26 percent of budgeted cost was “Civil” at $55 million. There was no explanation of what was included in “Civil.” Professional services were 21 percent at $45.7 million. The third largest expense was “Track” at $42.4 million. Systems was next at $41.6 million. Light rail vehicles were just 8 percent of costs, at $17.9 million.

It appears non-descript items were double what was spent on tracks, vehicles, stations, and a break room. The $142 million that went to items other than the capital goods needed to extend the line and improve service is over twice the $69 million for the purchase and construction of actual new things.

With TriMet demanding new taxes from both Washington and Oregon citizens for the I-5 Bridge replacement project, citizens need to continue questioning where the money is currently going. Since the Oregon legislature failed to pass TriMet’s 3-fold increase in the statewide jobs tax, it has announced they will be cutting 10 percent of its light rail service and 27 percent of its bus service.

One wonders when the TriMet pink slips will go out? ODOT has already informed hundreds of its employees their jobs will be terminated.

TriMet didn’t respond to a Clark County Today request asking how many LRVs were purchased for the $11.1 million reportedly expended as of March 2025 on the Better Red.