Metropolitan Area Express (MAX)

Metropolitan Area Express (MAX)

Metropolitan Area Express (MAX)
4.5

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,022 reviews
Excellent
708
Very good
228
Average
53
Poor
16
Terrible
17

Debroia5233
Red Oak, IA41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Based on our experiences, we would tell others that Portland is an easy city to visit without your own vehicle. We rode the MAX to and from the airport. To reach our hotel was only a two block walk from the stop. We rode the MAX to Washington Park and to buy groceries. It was very economical, frequent, and clean.
Written July 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alwaysreviewing
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Family
The MAX trains, buses, etc., are really the best thing about Portland. No reason to ever visit with a car as all parts are easily accessible. In fact, having driven it a few times there is absolutely NO parking anywhere and if you are lucky enough to find any you will constantly 'feed the kitty'. Having a car will just add stress where thete need not be any. Your routes can be easily planned and thetes always someone that can assist.
Written September 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tom B
Seattle, WA54 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
Used trains to get around town while there for three days for a conference. Went between my hotel in the Pearl district and the Oregon Convention Center. The trains were usually on schedule (one failed to show, but it's followup 12 minutes later did show up). Not many people riding, and many of those were rough around the edges so if that bothers you, then don't ride. Air conditioning was working on all trains so they were comfortable. The trains are generally 20 years old or so, and showing their age but usually clean.

Most stops had a single ticket machine, I never saw one out of order. I also never saw anyone scanning their ticket at the stop so I suspect many riders aren't paying. Which is easy to do as I never saw security on the train and never saw tickets being checked.
Written September 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NoAngst
Bend, OR322 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
Why would MAX have dedicated airport trains, but make no provisions for luggage? So short sited.

Then there’s the safety issue. Seems 50% or more of our trips are uncomfortable because of “rough” passengers. We’ve gotten off and caught the next train just to be safe.

But hey! It sure is convenient and efficient!

Don’t care how much parking costs. No more MAX for us.
Written September 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Angela R
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
This was my first experience with the MAX. It was recommended by hotel staff as an alternative to driving to Moda Center for a concert. SO glad we took their "how the locals do it" advice. It was awesome! Stress free, quick, and SO EASY! Will definitely do it again!
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pinguFareham
Budapest, Hungary113 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
Great system to travel on. Cheap to use. Travelled from airport to our hotel and then on a couple of the days we were there. Very clean and comfortable. Has carriages with lower floors so strollers etc can be pushed on easier.
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travelingmike
Hillsboro, Oregon152 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Overview:

This is the commuter train for Portland and surrounding suburbs. It is easy to ride and use. As of February 2008 there are 3 lines (another is coming in 2009). They are: the Blue line that goes from downtown Hillsboro on the westside to downtown Gresham on the eastside; the Yellow line that goes from downtown Portland to the Expo Center along the Columbia river; and the Red Line that goes from center Beaverton to the airport (follows part of the Blue line).

For visitors it is easy to use from the airport. Here is what you do.

1. Pick up your luggage and head to the end of the airport, follow the signs to MAXX.
2. Before boarding, visit the large square ticket machine.
3. You will want to buy an All Zone 2 hour pass if going to downtown Portland, or anywhere else except really close by (this is what most people will do.).
4. Push the button that says one All Zone pass. The machine will tell you how much money to put in.
5. Insert your money. From here the machine automatically prints out your ticket.
6. Next, board the train, but hold on to your ticket in case a fare inspector asks you for it - the system is on the honor system for paying, but levels high fines if caught without a ticket.
7. Disembark at your location and smile for not having to fork over an arm and leg for a taxi.

The train that you board will have a red front sign that will say Beaverton TC (transit center), and this train will take you to downtown Portland.

- If you are headed east to Gresham, then get off at the Gateway TC, and take a train that has a Blue sign with Gresham TC on it.
- If you are headed west to Hillsboro, you can get off at Gateway TC or at any stop after Gateway TC and take a Blue line train that has a Blue sign with Hillsboro on it.
- If you are headed to north Portland, then get off in downtown Portland anywhere and take a Yellow line train.
- If you are headed west to Beaverton, then just stay on this Red line train and get off at the last stop.

You have 2 hours on your ticket to board any bus or train, even it it takes 3 hours for your trip. Also, once you disembark the train, you can board any Tri-Met bus with your ticket. Just put your ticket in the bus fare box upon boarding and you will be given a bus ticket in return. If you plan on taking a bus after disembarking from the train, then be sure to stop at a stop with the letters TC (transit center) after the stop name for this is a location where the buses, also, stop.

If you have questions, you can call Tri-Met directly at [--].

Please take the time to rate my review. Thanks.
Written March 1, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HarlemMade
Pittsburgh, PA186 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2015 • Business
I'd heard great things about MAX, but to experience it is divine. I used MAX to get from the airport to downtown Portland, where I connected with the streetcar to get to my hotel. It was a great way to see parts of Portland I probably would not have ordinarily seen if I'd taken a taxi from the airport. As a city planner, I am impressed with the intense TOD aspects of this transit system.

It is clean, safe and quiet, and built to accommodate disabled travelers, as well as people using strollers and bicyclists.

Pro tip: If you plan to use MAX as a means to get from the airport to your destination, you must have cash to purchase a ticket. The machines in the airport do not take credit cards. Also purchase the $2.50 ticket unless you plan on using MAX and streetcars for your entire visit (which is an excellent idea).
Written March 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dan W
Portland, OR51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Solo
I lived in Portland for almost 20 years, and still travel there frequently on business. When I lived there I took MAX to work daily, and as a business traveler I still use it almost daily when I'm in town. I've ridden MAX trains well over two thousand times, so I have a pretty good feel for what it's like to ride. There are now 5 lines:
- Red: Airport - downtown - Beaverton
- Blue: Hillsboro - Beaverton - downtown - Gresham
- Yellow: North Portland - downtown
- Green: downtown - Clackamas
- Orange: downtown - Milwaukie

For the traveler, the Red line is most important because it connects to the airport. The trip downtown takes about 35 minutes, and it runs every 15 minutes or better most hours of the day. It also overlaps the Blue line for most of its route, which basically doubles the frequency for that stretch.

I strongly recommend most travelers who are visiting Portland - the city, not the suburbs - avoid getting an expensive rental car at the airport. Between MAX, TriMet's excellent bus network and the BikeTown rental-bike system, there's little need for most travelers to have a car in Portland, and plenty of reasons not to: the cost, lots of traffic and parking hassles. If you want to get out of town, you can rent one from a downtown agency or one of the neighborhood Enterprise locations for less money than at the airport, plus only for the days you need instead of the whole time you're in Portland.

Be aware that with MAX (unlike TriMet's buses) you need to buy your ticket on the platform before you board, if you don't have a pass. Current cost is $2.50 per trip (transfers included) or $5 for an all-day pass (which I would recommend for travelers), and the same ticket is good on MAX trains, buses and streetcars. There are no turnstiles and it is all too easy to board without a ticket, but fare inspectors will give you a $200 ticket if they catch you, so buy your ticket.

The recent fatal attack has a lot of people worried about safety on MAX, but was an isolated incident. This was a first-time occurrence, and MAX carries 40 million passengers per year. As I mentioned I've ridden MAX more than 2000 times: only a couple times (late at night) have I ever felt even mildly unsafe, and those were unusual. Occasionally aggressive people will come on the trains and intimidate people, but I haven't seen it happen very many times at all. Honestly, riding MAX is probably safer than walking down the street.

Speaking of which, the bigger danger is probably being a pedestrian around MAX trains. Although there are audible signals at train crossings, there are 4 crossings at each station and (unlike in many other countries, or even in my Minneapolis home) there are no visual signals to indicate which one has the approaching train. As a result, quite a few people have been struck and killed by MAX trains over the years - including one this very week, unfortunately.

One more downside I need to mention: MAX's reliability seems to have declined a bit in recent years. It still runs on time most of the time, most days, but delays and outages aren't as rare as they used to be. Much of the cause appears to be aging tracks, switches and other equipment. TriMet has undertaken three major projects in the last year to upgrade things, so reliability will hopefully get better.

I'm addressing the above safety and reliability caveats specifically because of recent publicity, but honestly the system is mostly very safe, reliable and efficient overall.
Written June 7, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael S
Taipei, Taiwan21 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2013 • Family
I find it baffling that the Portland MAX is so often touted as a great model for the rest of the country. I guess it comes from the attitude that it's better than having nothing at all, which is only marginally true in this case.

The fundamental flaw with the MAX is that it runs on the surface streets, barely able to get you anywhere faster than a car and in many cases much slower. The actual network is fairly limited. There are a great number of Portland attractions that you won't be able to access via the max line. My wife used to have to traverse Portland East/West to get to work. The MAX station was just down the street from our house, and had another station very close to work. Unfortunately we considered it unusable since it wasted at least 20-30 minutes just getting through the downtown surface streets, stopping at every light, etc.

My biggest gripe about the MAX concerns safety. It's fine during the day but very risky in the evening. Far too little security, most of the time nonexistent. There is no access control so sketchy characters can board the train as they please, looking for new targets to mug.

I had one particularly dodgy experience a couple of years ago traveling from the Airport to downtown, I was with my pregnant wife and toddler son. Several dodgy looking young men boarded the train, they were dressed like the typical street kids you see all over downtown PDX. They kept their hoodies pulled over to cover their faces but kept glancing over at us. I travel all over the world to some very poor countries but I've never had a group of people appear so menacing. As soon as we crossed the bridge into downtown, and I could see a taxi, we jumped off the train and got straight in the taxi.

As is often the case with MAX, during the entire ride there was never a single security patrol present on the train. Considering the number of vagrants that jump on board for a free ride I'd say this is negligent. A lot of crime happens very near the MAX stations as well. After my experience I'll never ride the MAX with my family during non busy hours. Shame.

I currently live in Taipei. It's a much bigger city so I can't quite compare, but its relatively new MRT system is vastly superior, safe, fast, cheap, and extensive with no ridiculous lines running on the surface streets. Money would have been better spent adding more bus lines and frequent service, but that's not sexy. Sorry Portland, you need to get out more often and see how a city can really create an effective public transportation system, MAX is just feel good fluff, only fun for the visiting tourist.
Written December 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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