It seems I get alerts from TriMet on a weekly basis that MAX trains are delayed due to an auto blocking the tracks. I can't fathom how this happens so often. Are drivers around here so oblivious to flashing lights and crossing gates that they just routinely drive in front of trains?

Cars in the MAX right-of-way are an increasingly frequent cause of delays, and TriMet officials say they don't know why.

"We're perplexed as well," said Doug Kelsey, TriMet's chief operating officer.

It's not just a weekly occurrence. In fact, Kelsey said, the agency gets an average of five such reports every week.

Sometimes the motorist realizes the mistake and drives away, resolving the problem quickly. But when a car gets good and stuck, it typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get trains running again.

Sometimes it can take even longer, and a couple of notable incidents come to mind in which a motorist drove into the MAX-only Robertson Tunnel under the West Hills.

In 2014, it took three hours in the middle of the morning commute to remove a car from the tunnel and start getting trains through. In 2008, another man made it a mile and a half into the tunnel, nearly to the underground Washington Park MAX station.

In October, a woman drove onto MAX tracks near the Gateway Transit Center, where crews had to shut off electricity and hoist the car out with a crane.

In all three cases, the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants. Kelsey said it's not clear how many car-on-tracks incidents involve intoxicated drivers -- but he did note they're significantly more likely to occur between midnight and 3 a.m.

There's also a spike in incidents during rush hour, when there are more vehicles on the road.

Cars also tend to block MAX tracks at two critical points: on the Steel Bridge, a central link for each of its five lines; and along East Burnside Street, which can block access to or from the Ruby Junction rail maintenance facility.

In any case, they cause headaches for MAX commuters, and it's an obstacle in TriMet's goal to keep the system running on time.

The agency is looking at trying to better mark or block certain sections of tracks. It's also considering equipping more of its maintenance vehicles with equipment to push or drag vehicles out of the way faster, and working with tow dispatchers to make sending out trucks to clear MAX lines a priority on par with roads and highways.

"It's a challenge for us, and we're spending more time on this to better understand this exact issue," Kelsey said. "It's absolutely a contributor to on-time performance, and people need to stay out of our guideway."

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Have a commuting question? Contact Elliot Njus at enjus@oregonian.com or on Twitter @enjus