PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police said Steven Stein told them he was “just going home.”

But the accused drunken driver definitely took the wrong route.

SLIDESHOW: Police: DUII Driver Became Stuck In MAX Tunnel

Stein drove his car for one mile on the MAX train tracks before entering a tunnel and getting stuck, TriMet officials said.

The car tripped the alarm at TriMet’s command center shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday. TriMet had to suspend its light rail service and use buses to transport MAX riders until the car could be towed.

Crews were faced with a difficult task in getting it back out. They said it’s no simple task to get a car off the tracks when it is 280 feet underground and inside a 3-mile-long tunnel.

Special makeshift dollies and track-riding trucks were brought in. The track’s safety signals and other features also required inspection and repairs after the incident.

TriMet officials estimated the entire cost of the operation at $20,000.

Stein, 54, is scheduled to appear in court on driving under the influence charges in March.