So I recently visited Portland, Oregon getting the feel for the city. While I was there I was very intrigued by the city's public transportation, specifically their light rail system MAX (Metropolitan Area Express). In this thread, i'll be talking about the MAX Light Rail and why I think it would make a great addition to Train Simulator. Map of the MAX Light Rail System (including the Portland Streetcar and WES Commuter Rail) History During the mid 1970s, TriMet had been considering building a light rail system for Portland. TriMet had been using their funds for the now cancelled Mt Hood Freeway putting them into the project for the light rail which at the time was called the Banfield Light Rail Project. The TriMet board later approved the project in September of 1978. Construction of the system began in 1982 building up to 15 miles (24kilometers) of track, the system began operation on September 5, 1986. The light rail system adopted the name Metropolitan Area Express (abbreviated as the acronym "MAX") two months before it was opened to the public. In 1993, construction had started for an additional 18 miles (29 kilometers) of track stretching between two Portland suburbs, Hillsboro and Beaverton in the west, the Westside line going from Hillsboro to Beaverton opened in 1998. All lines would meet up in downtown in what is called the "Portland Transit Mall". The Westside line would later become known as the Blue Line after TriMet adopted color designated lines for separate routes. The current MAX lines operating today are: Red Line (Beaverton - Portland International Airport) Blue Line (Hillsboro - Gresham) Green Line (Clackamus - Portland State University) Yellow Line (Expo Center - Portland State University) Orange Line (Milwaukie - Union Station) Rolling Stock There are currently five MAX Light Rail models in service today, each model is designated by type by TriMet such as "Type 1" "Type 2 "Type 3" "Type 4" and lastly "Type 5". All these models run on every line in the system. The Type 1 was manufactured by Bombardier while the rest were manufactured by Siemens. Type 1 model Type 2 model Type 3 model Type 4 model Type 5 model My Opinion I personally think the MAX Light Rail would make a great addition to Train Simulator because first off, I think it would be cool to have a light rail in Train Simulator. Second of all, this route would give you a look at an entire city along with some scenic views of the wilderness and city, I mean just imagine one moment you're traveling through mostly wooded suburbs and the boom you're suddenly in an urban environment. Now I'm just curious on what you guys think about this idea, I'll be glad to see what you guys think! PHOTOS USED IN THIS THREAD DO NOT BELONG TO ME, ALL PHOTOS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS ON WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
