When TriMet announced the first round of service cuts last summer year they told us the worst was yet to come. Now that the second round has been announced, we get an even stronger taste of what they meant.
“With rising costs and less money coming in, we must reduce spending now to avoid more severe cuts down the road, which would affect many more riders,” reads a TriMet statement released today. The agency faces a $300 million budget gap due to rising inflation, low ridership numbers and other factors.
One of the highest profile cuts is the elimination of about half of the MAX Green Line. The line, which opened in 2009, currently runs from the Clackamas Town Center, north to the Gateway Transit Center in Northeast Portland, and then along I-84 into downtown. Starting in August of this year, the line will only service stops between Clackamas Town Center and Gateway. All east-west travel on the line will be cut. Other cuts include changes to 35 bus lines (including the elimination of all bus service in south Gresham, along Stafford and Salamo roads in West Linn; and Tualatin-Sherwood Road in Tualatin).
To prep the public for the cuts TriMet will hold 11 open houses (eight in person and three online) this month across the region.
TriMet says that since before the pandemic they’ve, “faced staggering cost increases in almost everything related to running the transit system, including labor, vehicles, facilities, contractors, equipment and software.” That increase includes a 53% jump in cost per service hour between from 2019 to 2024. In addition to higher costs for materials they need for daily operations and lower revenue, they say their system is aging and needs maintenance and equipment upgrades. A major increase in safety and security-related expenses was also listed as a reason for the cuts.
But what, it gets worse. To reverse the transit doom loop, TriMet says a fare increase in likely to come in 2028.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is not likely to throw transit a lifeline and even the state legislature is keeping service down. An increase to the statewide payroll tax was agreed to by lawmakers in the 2025 special session (albeit much smaller than many had hoped), but in a bid to ensure quorum, Democrats gave Republicans a sunset on that tax, which means it would end on January 1, 2028. And currently, even that bump in funding is on hold due to a successful petition effort that has frozen new revenue sources until a vote in November.
The proposed cuts will be discussed by TriMet’s Board of Directors at their meeting in March and will be voted on in April. Learn more and find an open house near you at TriMet.org/servicecuts.