Still a Pioneer

Tri-County Metropolitan Transit District, Portland, Oregon's regional transit agency, has been planning and building TriMet for more than three decades. The system has become an integrated rail transit system as well as a model for transportation planners throughout North America. TriMet currently includes three light rail transit (LRT) lines totaling 44.3 miles and a modern streetcar system that covers the downtown core with three route miles of track, and under construction is a 0.6 mile streetcar extension , and TriMet's first foray into commuter rail is in final design. Two more LRT branches, a new LRT line, and two streetcar extensions are not far behind. TriMet remains a vital part of the region's urban fabrik and policy of simulating economic growth. Rail transit has progressed this far as the result of several factors that have reached a nexus: a desire to reduce sprawl and improve the environment, a citizen freeway revolt, and the need to diminish fuel consumption. Some of the innovations adopted by TriMet are traffic signal pre-emption, pedestrian safety measures, use of reserved lanes downtown, and development of five transit centers to provide convenient interchanges between rail and buses. The success of Portland's rail transit can be credited to a large part to the ongoing support of elected officials and the business community, a key ingredient in generating federal funding.