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Every day thousands of people ride buses and MAX in Portland’s downtown. People ride to work, to school, to the doctor, or to meet with friends, family and colleagues. For some, the central city is the final destination; others are passing through on their way to places like Gresham, Beaverton or Hillsboro.

At the busiest hours of the day, 40 light rail trains must cross the river and traverse downtown – one train every 90 seconds. As the region grows and the demand for light rail increases, the region will need at least 64 MAX trains through downtown every hour, more than one train each minute. Our current system can’t support that change.

Metro and TriMet are leading the MAX Tunnel study in partnership with city and county partners. Together, they are studying the potential for a light rail tunnel from approximately Lloyd Center to Goose Hollow in Southwest Portland to improve transit as the region grows.