The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently awarded the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) a $99.9 million grant through the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program.
CIG provides funding for major transit infrastructure capital investments.
TriMet’s funding will go toward the $215 million MAX Red Line Extension and Reliability Improvements Project in the Portland metro area.
The 7.8-mile red line extension will connect Beaverton, Portland International Airport, and the Gateway Transit Center.
Track, switch and signalization work will allow the MAX Red Line to serve 10 additional stations that currently are served only by the Blue Line. Adding a second track to two single-track sections of the Red Line will help alleviate existing bottlenecks.
Other work includes the purchase of four new light rail vehicles, constructing an operator break facility at the Red Line’s new terminus in Hillsboro, building a new station at the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center, and rebuilding the Portland International Airport MAX Station.
“FTA is proud to join our partners in Oregon to expand light rail service and improve transit connections in Portland and other important destinations,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said.
Fernandez, TriMet, and state and local officials will attend a groundbreaking event today in Portland.