There are too many MAX stations bunched too close together downtown, TriMet said, and the agency is taking a hard look at closing down several stations for the first time in its history.

TriMet is looking at shuttering as many as four stations - all on the Red and Blue lines - to try and speed up its light rail trains through downtown.

Some of the stations are a block or two from each other, or about 500 feet in some cases. MAX service started in 1986.

Roberta Altstadt, TriMet's communications manager, said the agency is just starting the discussion about closing the Skidmore Fountain, Mall/SW 5th Ave, Mall/SW 4th Ave, and Kings Hill/SW Salmon stations.

Those stations were picked due to low usage and close proximity to other stops.

"We have heard from riders that they would like a quicker trip through downtown," Altstadt said. If all four stations were closed, riders would save two minutes on a one-way trip between Old Town Chinatown and Goose Hollow.

In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive's Editorial Board in June, General Manager Doug Kelsey said the agency faced a number of bottlenecks in downtown and it was looking at closing two stations.

That plan has since expanded and accelerated. TriMet's Board of Directors would likely vote next spring to approve any station closures. Stations would close by September 2019.

It's unclear what it would cost to close the stations, and TriMet hasn't explored what to do with the shuttered platforms after the trains no longer stop there. "We are a ways out," Altstadt said.

TriMet has 97 MAX stations across the metro area and 14 of them are on the Red and Blue lines, the system's oldest lines downtown.

Kings Hill has the lowest weekday ridership, at 1,357, of any of the stations under consideration. The station is already closed for Timbers and Thorns games and is close to the Providence Park and Goose Hollow stations.

Altstadt said the two stations near the Pioneer Courthouse Square mall are overshadowed by the main station blocks away, which draws 10,000 more boardings and exits each week.

Similarly, the Skidmore Fountain station is 600 feet away from the Old Town Chinatown stop.

But the agency wants to hear from riders about the proposed station closures first.

People can either hello@trimet.org or call 503-238-RIDE (7433).

And this week TriMet added a new feature allowing riders to text the same number with any comments or concerns.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect that any closures would likely occur in September 2019.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen