Construction to disrupt MAX Red Line service this weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - A new construction project by TriMet may make your commute even longer this weekend.

MAX Red Line trains will not be running this Saturday and Sunday as TriMet crews work to install a new light rail bridge just north of the Gateway Transit Center. Riders typically take the Red Line from Gateway to the Portland International Airport.

Those riders aren’t waiting out in the heat for too long - TriMet says shuttle buses will be running from Gateway to PDX instead.

MAX Red Line services will be disrupted this weekend for TriMet’s “A Better Red” project, which aims to get rid of bottlenecks on the existing Red Line track.

While the closure isn’t for long, timing isn’t great. Red Line riders waiting in the heat for their train may have to wait even longer for an alternate ride.

“It takes a lot of people, especially from the airport. So the people that are landing and are expecting to hitch the MAX to go home - oh, they’re going to be livid,” said one rider.

But it’s not just people taking the MAX to and from the airport who may be impacted. Janita Greely works at the cooling center on Northwest Glisan and says the majority of people who come to beat the heat are homeless and rely on the MAX to get there.

“I’m going to say 95% of them are homeless, and definitely depend on the Red Line or any MAX for that matter,” said Greely.

With the Red Line down, TriMet officials say they’re hoping to run extra Blue Line trains to make up for the disruption. Greely hopes that means trains will be less crowded in the heat.

“Some MAX’s have A/C, but you know, depending how many people are in there, you won’t feel it,” she said.

As the prolonged heat wave continues, TriMet says riders can take trains for free to any cooling center.

For more information about “A Better Red” project, click here.

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