Category: Light Rail

  • Breaking down the economics of bus vs MAX

    There’s been a bunch of stuff in the comments of the SW Corridor: Transportation Bundles article about the relative (operational) efficiencies of bus versus light rail. The discussion mirrors a debate that occurs in the wider community. Two dueling theories are commonly articulated: That MAX is more efficient, operationally, than bus–that in busy corridors, it…

  • OPB Morning News All About BRT

    A well-balanced discussion of how Bus Rapid Transit stacks up against Light Rail and the corridors where it is under consideration (Southwest Corridor, Powell) as well as a discussion of Eugene’s system and its planned extension. Audio (MP3) and text links.

  • Where Would You Put Transit Stations in the Southwest Corridor?

    Metro has a new on-line planning tool up for the Southwest Corridor project. It lets you choose where you think the station areas should be for High Capacity Transit (but you only get to pick five!) and also gets your input on modal and community investments. Check it out, it’s called “Shape Southwest”.

  • The whys and wherefores of MAX bus bridges

    In the previous post, we lamented the recent spate of (sometimes bizarre) incidents affecting MAX service, in particular a car which ran off a freeway offramp and landed in the middle of Sunset Transit Center, shutting down MAX service on the westside for the better part of a day. (Nobody was badly hurt; the driver…

  • Does somebody out there have a MAX-shaped voodoo doll?

    Westside MAX is down today, as a speeding car trying to negotiate the loop ramp from US26 to OR217 ran off the highway, landing on the MAX tracks at Sunset Transit Center. Nobody at the station was hurt; the driver (who was intoxicated) only suffered minor injuries, and no MAX trains were involved, but the…