Portland Interstate MAX

Portland's Interstate Avenue was the main road north to the Columbia River and Washington before I-5 was built. In decline, it's been brought back with the 2004 opening of Interstate MAX, the Yellow Line.

This is a typical station at Overlook Blvd., looking south.

The original four-lane boulevard became median tracks and bicycle lanes (looking north from Overlook Blvd.)

These 7/03 late-construction photos were before parkway landscaping was complete.

This is a standard signal-controlled intersection by Ockley Green Middle School at Ainsworth Street, looking north. Chains discourage mid-block crossing.

The 4,000-foot Vanport Bridge crosses a southern slough of the Columbia River.

(click any photo to enlarge)

The current terminus is at Expo Center on the edge of the Columbia River. A new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River may take tracks north to Vancouver, Washington.

This zig-zag pedestrian crossing directs people to look first left, then right for safety with on-coming trains.

The 5.8-mile Interstate MAX line cost $350M, of which the federal New Starts share was $257.5M.

More in this Tri-Met PDF fact sheet.

Los Angeles Green Line

Much of the Los Angeles Metro Green Line is in the median of the I-105 freeway, built at the same time. Here is a train at the Long Beach Boulevard station (12/07). Waiting here is VERY LOUD.

After the Aviation station (two miles from LAX, connected only by airport shuttle bus) the line curves south of the freeway (03/03).

Unique among modern U.S. light rail lines, it is entirely grade-separated because it was originally planned for automated operation.

Here is the aerial guideway and station along Nash Street at Mariposa Avenue in El Segundo (03/03).

(click any photo to enlarge)

Landscaping and path beneath the aerial structure (03/03).

Passing Mattel's headquarters and other office buildings at Grand Avenue in El Segundo (03/03).

Entrance to the aerial station at El Segundo Boulevard (03/03).

A new light rail bridge and older BNSF Railroad truss bridge diagonally cross the intersection of Aviation Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue (04/03).

The current terminus is at Marine Avenue (04/03). It's a long way up to that platform!

Future extensions south, north to LAX, and east to Norwalk Metrolink are in Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan. More at Friends of the Green Line.

The 20-mile Green Line (map source) opened in 1995 for a cost of $718M. Recent ridership has been around 39,000 average weekday boardings.

Weekday peak headways are 7-8 minutes; middays and weekends are 15 minutes; nights are 20 minutes.