PORTLAND, Ore. — The Gateway Transit Center, a hub for the MAX light rail system’s Red, Blue, and Green lines in eastern Portland, will be closed to rail service Jan. 14 to Feb. 25 of next year to allow for construction, transit agency TriMet has announced. The resulting service disruption will include a suspension of […]
Zone & Region: Pacific Northwest
Sound Transit CEO Timm to resign
SEATTLE — The CEO of Sound Transit is resigning after just 16 months, sending the agency back into a search for a new chief executive. Julie Timm, who became CEO in September 2022, will “return to the East Coast to take care of family matters,” Sound Transit said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 12. […]
Slide activity extends Amtrak closure between Seattle, Portland
SEATTLE — Amtrak service between Seattle and Portland, Ore., remains suspended following a second landslide on the route, KIRO-TV reports. Service had been slated to resume at 8:30 a.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 7), but additional slide activity now means that the closure has been extended through Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:22 a.m., according to an […]
Amtrak service suspended between Seattle, Portland, Ore., after landslide
PORTLAND, Ore. — Amtrak has suspended service between Portland and Seattle through at least 8:30 a.m. on Thursday following a landslide today (Tuesday, Dec. 5) near Vancouver, Wash., according to a service alert posted by the passenger operator. The suspension of Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight service between the two cities follows a slide on […]
Amtrak Cascades add two Seattle-Portland round trips as of Dec. 11
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Amtrak Cascades service between Seattle and Portland, Ore., will expand by two daily round trips as of Monday, Dec. 11, increasing service to six daily round trips between the two cities, as well as changes to service to Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Under the new schedules, the first trains each […]
Two injured as Portland streetcar, light rail train collide
PORTLAND, Ore. — A TriMet MAX light rail train and Portland streetcar collided in an intersection east of downtown Portland on Wednesday, briefly pinning the streetcar operator and sending that operator and one passenger to the hospital with minor injuries. The collision occurred about 10:20 a.m. at the intersection of Northeast 7th Avenue and Holladay […]
Extension of parts swap helps land water pump for restoration of SP&S No. 700
PORTLAND, Ore. — The group restoring Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 No. 700 has secured a hot water pump for the locomotive through a three-way swap involving two other preservation groups that had previously arranged an exchange of parts. Consultant and contractor FMW Solutions discovered the water pump on No. 700, being restored by the […]
Sound Transit begins pre-revenue testing on East Link light rail line
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sound Transit will begin pre-revenue testing on a portion of its East Link light rail line starting today (Nov. 1, 2023), a step toward the beginning of service between the South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations next spring. The transit agency cautions that pedestrians and drivers should be alert for trains at […]
‘Empire Builder’ disruptions triggered by snow, mechanical issues
CHICAGO — The Chicago-Seattle/Portland, Ore., Empire Builder is finally on the road to recovery after incurring significant challenges during the past week following a late October High Plains snowstorm and related issues. A series of delays throughout the week culminated in eastbound train No. 8 departing Seattle more than 5 hours late on Saturday, Oct. […]
Light rail service to Portland, Ore., airport to resume Sunday
PORTLAND, Ore.— Light rail service to Portland International Airport will be restored on Sunday after a four-month hiatus, transit agency TriMet has announced. Service to the airport was halted in June as part of a $215 million project adding a second track on the MAX Red Line segment leading to the airport and rebuilding the […]
Maxon Railway is an office on rails
As the Maxon Railway car pulls away from the platform everything seems business as usual. Steel rails. Steel wheels. A slight clickety-clack. The whizzing soundtrack of an electrified locomotive. Check. Check. Check. Check. Except this is no ordinary rail car and this railway is definitely nowhere near ordinary. Located in the Pacific Northwest with the […]
Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 15 | All in the details
In this session, Host David Popp promises to finish the work on the passenger car project! That includes paying careful attention to those tiny details on the passenger car and the layout itself…you know, all of the little things he’d notice if he did not take the time to complete them now, including the addition […]