New revelations about where TriMet spend $204 million taxpayer dollars
Following a Public Records Request, it turns out TriMet’s “Better Red” light rail extension has lots of questionable expenditures. Lars Larson and I discuss some of the details.
The original article had all the details. (Here)
How much does a mile of light rail cost? That was the start of a deeper dive into TriMet’s MAX extension into Washington County, followed by digging into all Better Red project costs.
Almost a year ago, TriMet celebrated the ribbon cutting for its “Better Red” light rail project. There were three parts to it – a 10-mile extension from Beaverton to Hillsboro; an upgrade to its east Portland Gateway Transit Center; and the addition of a second train track going to/from the Portland airport.
TriMet spent $204 million on the project, originally budgeted for $215 million. It was supposed to include the purchase of four new Siemens light rail vehicles (LRV) for $4.47 million each. Yet as of March 2025, TriMet has only spent 62.5 percent of the LRV funds, or $11.2 million. How many vehicles has it actually purchased for the new service?
The short answer — they won’t answer the question.
Total MAX system ridership dropped by just over 7,000 from a year ago, to 438,926 boardings in May.
