Portland International Airport station

Portland International Airport is a light rail station in Portland, Oregon, United States, that is served by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. It serves Portland International Airport and is the eastern terminus of the Red Line, which connects travelers to downtown Portland and Beaverton. The station, which is located near the southern end of the arrivals hall of the airport's main passenger terminal, consists of a wedge-shaped island platform, just beyond which both tracks join because the section approaching the terminal is single-tracked. In late 2018, the station recorded an average of 2,461 weekday boardings.

Portland International Airport
MAX Light Rail station
The station's platform in 2011
Other namesAirport
Location7000 NE Airport Way
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°35′15″N 122°35′35″W
Owned byTriMet
Line(s) Red Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections TriMet: 272
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingPaid parking nearby
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedSeptember 10, 2001
Passengers
Fall 20182,461 weekday boardings[1]
Services
Preceding station   MAX Light Rail   Following station
Red LineTerminus
Location

Portland International Airport station was built as part of the Airport MAX Project, which extended light rail service to the airport with the construction of a four-station, 5.5-mile (8.9 km) branch line of MAX near Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center. Construction of the station began in July 2000 and it opened on September 10, 2001. Trains serve the station for 22 hours daily; there are minimum headways of 15 minutes during most of the day. TriMet provides a 24-hour service to the airport with supplementary bus route 272–PDX Night Bus to Southeast Portland that runs when the light rail line is not operating.

History

TriMet had served Portland International Airport with bus routes since 1970,[2] notably with route 12–Sandy Boulevard since 1986.[3] Metro planners first proposed building an airport light rail line in 1987.[4] These early plans envisioned the line to run from Clackamas to the airport via Interstate 205 using rights-of-way provided by the I-205 Transitway, which had been built in 1982 to accommodate mass transit.[5][6] In 1991, the Port of Portland adopted a multi-phased, $300 million airport expansion plan to address expected passenger traffic growth through 2010.[7] The project raised the capacity of the main terminal and its concourses over a 20-year period and provisioned for a future light rail station near the arrivals hall.[8][9] By 1994, travelers using the airport had risen by 34 percent within four years, far exceeding the Port's expectations.[10] Port officials, struggling to meet the surge in demand, moved to accelerate airport light rail plans, which regional planners had not anticipated until the late 2000s. TriMet had also aimed to complete the Westside MAX and the South–North Line beforehand.[10][11]

In 1996, construction and engineering firm Bechtel approached the Port with an unsolicited proposal to build the airport line.[12] After negotiations between Bechtel, the Port, and local jurisdictions, Bechtel was granted the design–build contract for the 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.[13] Bechtel later renamed this property Cascade Station.[14] The Port projected the airport terminal station to cost $8.4 million and allocated a $3 ticket fee to fund its construction.[15] Delta Airlines, Reno Air, and United Airlines protested the use of ticket fees but the Federal Aviation Administration gave its approval in May 1999.[16][17] Construction of the line commenced in June 1999.[18] Hoffman Construction began building the station's platform in July 2000 and by August, Stacy and Witbeck crews had started to lay 3,000 ft (914.4 m) of rail along the segment closest to the terminal.[15]

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.[19][20] Celebrations planned for the following weekend were canceled following the September 11 attacks and the airport was closed for three days.[21][22] 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.[15][23] 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.[24] In 2006, the station handled more than one million passengers in a single year for the first time.[25]

TriMet reintroduced bus service to the airport with the 272–PDX Night Bus route on September 2, 2018. The bus route runs in the late night and early morning hours when the Red Line is not operating.[26][27] From March 29, 2020, Portland International Airport station will be closed through May 30, and again from August 30 to November 4, to make way for the expansion of the airport's Concourse B. During the closures, shuttle buses will carry riders from Mount Hood Avenue station to the passenger terminal. TriMet plans to utilize the closures to prepare for track improvements that will be part of the Better Red project.[28]

Station details
Trains bound for this station display "Airport", as shown on a former rollsign-type destination sign
Platform
level		 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 International Airport station's platform is situated outdoors on the lower level of the airport's main passenger terminal; it is near the southernmost entrance and within 150 ft (45.7 m) of the baggage claim area.[19][29] The station consists of a wedge-shaped, at-grade island platform and a glass canopy that was designed by ZGF Architects, which also designed the airport terminal's main-entrance canopy.[30] The 80-seat station lobby, which is located inside the terminal, has ticket vending machines and real-time displays showing train departure times.[31] The station occupies the end of a single-track section of the MAX system; the only other such section on the network is located near Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center.[32]

Public art

Pieces of public art commissioned for the Airport MAX Project have a common theme of "flight".[33] 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.[11][33] 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.[34][35]

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.[11] In late 2018, the station recorded an average of 2,461 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.[36][37] 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.[37]

In the late evenings and early mornings when the Red Line is not operating,[38] TriMet operates the 272–PDX Night Bus to provide a 24-hour service to the airport. The bus departs from the airport arrivals platform near the station once per hour and travels to Southeast Washington & 80th in Southeast Portland, running along much of Southeast 82nd Avenue.[39] Riders continuing to downtown Portland may transfer to bus route 20–Burnside/Stark, which also runs on a 24-hour schedule.[40]

References
  1. "TriMet MAX Light Rail Passenger Census – Fall 2018" (PDF). TriMet. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  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. Bodine, Harry (September 30, 1987). "Light rail expansion backed by officials". The Oregonian. p. B12.
  5. Mayer, James (April 9, 1989). "Tri-Met looks to the future: The success of MAX sparks dreams of expanding". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  6. Hortsch, Dan (October 7, 1976). "I-205 section passes test for final approval". The Oregonian. p. E12.
  7. Mayes, Steve (April 11, 1991). "Portland's airport for the future only needs a $300 million ticket". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  8. Sturtz, Paul (June 3, 1991). "Airport ready to take off on $300 million expansion". Portland Business Journal. p. 1A.
  9. Hamburg, Ken (December 10, 1992). "Port of Portland speeds pace of airport terminal expansion". The Oregonian. p. E10.
  10. Marks, Anita (February 25, 1994). "Airport struggles with runaway growth". Portland Business Journal. p. 1.
  11. "Airport MAX Red Line" (PDF). TriMet. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  12. Oliver, Gordon (January 22, 1997). "Port wants MAX to run to airport". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  13. 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.
  14. Rose, Michael (December 19, 1997). "PDX light rail may lead to south-north line". Portland Business Journal. p. 1.
  15. Stewart, Bill (July 10, 2000). "Airport's MAX station will be special". The Oregonian. p. E4.
  16. Gordon, Oliver (December 12, 1998). "3 airlines oppose light-rail money". The Oregonian. p. C1.
  17. Stewart, Bill (May 29, 1999). "Ruling: Port ticket fees can finance 'Air MAX'". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  18. Stewart, Bill (June 17, 1999). "Light-rail line to PDX starting to take shape". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  19. "MAX trains begin airport service". Portland Business Journal. September 10, 2001. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  20. Oliver, Gordon (September 11, 2001). "Portland now 'the city that moves', mayor says [opening of MAX Red Line]". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  21. "History cancels PDX party". The Oregonian. September 15, 2001. p. D8.
  22. Rose, Joseph (September 17, 2001). "Even anti-noise advocates happy to hear airplanes again". The Oregonian. p. E6.
  23. "About town: Riders keep Airport MAX busy Thanksgiving weekend". The Oregonian. November 27, 2001. p. D2.
  24. Leeson, Fred (August 27, 2003). "MAX fares increase, direct service from Beaverton to PDX starts". The Oregonian. p. D2.
  25. "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.
  26. 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.
  27. "272–PDX Night Bus". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  28. Graf, Tyler (March 20, 2020). "Portland International Airport MAX Station closing for two months to accommodate concourse construction". TriMet. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  29. "Stop ID 10579 - Portland Int'l Airport MAX Station". TriMet. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  30. 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.
  31. "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.
  32. "MAX Red Line Improvements Project". TriMet. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  33. "Public Art". TriMet. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  34. "Public Art on MAX Red Line". TriMet. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  35. "Permanent Art – PDX Art". Port of Portland. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  36. "Frequent Service". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  37. "MAX Red Line Schedules". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  38. "272–PDX Night Bus To Washington & 80th via 82nd & Burnside • Weekday". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  39. "272–PDX Night Bus". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  40. "20–Burnside/Stark". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
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