TriMet has continued to push for expansion of the Yellow Line, with plans to extend the line into Washington state across the proposed new I-5 bridge
Taylor Marks
Cascade Policy Institute
Over-promised and under-delivered.
Throughout its 18-year life, TriMet’s Yellow Line MAX has never met its promised ridership projections.
In fact, just before the pandemic hit, Yellow Line ridership was more than 25 percent lower than where it was projected to be for 2020. Following the COVID-19 drop-off in ridership, TriMet now doesn’t expect transit ridership to hit pre-pandemic levels until sometime after 2045.
Because of low ridership, TriMet is failing to abide by its commitments to service frequency. TriMet promised the Federal Transit Administration that Yellow Line trains would arrive every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 15 minutes off-peak. Instead, Yellow Line trains run every 15 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes during other parts of the day.
Despite this consistent underperformance, TriMet has continued to push for expansion of the Yellow Line, with plans to extend the line into Washington state across the proposed new I-5 bridge.
Is slow, low-ridership light rail really the best usage of lane space on the proposed I-5 bridge? Or, should the new bridge instead expand lane capacity for trucks and cars usage to reduce congestion on the region’s freeways?
Taylor Marks is a Research Associate at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.
Also read:
- Opinion: Interstate Bridge replacement – the forever project
Joe Cortright argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project could bring tolling and traffic disruptions on I-5 through the mid-2040s. - Opinion: Oversized tires and the frequency illusion
Doug Dahl explains why tires that extend beyond fenders are illegal and how frequency illusion shapes perceptions about traffic safety. - Opinion: IBR’s systematic disinformation campaign, its demise
Neighbors for a Better Crossing challenges IBR’s seismic claims and promotes a reuse-and-tunnel alternative they say would save billions at the I-5 crossing. - Opinion: Is a state income tax coming, and the latest on the I-5 Bridge project
Rep. John Ley shares a legislative update on a proposed state income tax, the I-5 Bridge project, the Brockmann Campus and House Bill 2605. - Board authorizes C-TRAN to sign off on Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s SEIS
The C-TRAN Board approved the Final SEIS for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, with Camas and Washougal opposing the vote over light rail cost concerns.
wpDiscuz
