Final Type 6 MAX train arrives at TriMet’s Ruby Junction Rail Operations Facility

The final TriMet Type 6 MAX train arrived at the Ruby Junction Rail Operations Facility. The new vehicle will undergo weeks of testing, including logging at least 3,000 miles out of service before beginning passenger service. The first Type 6 train began service on Jan. 16, 2025, and TriMet currently has 22 in service, accounting for approximately 15% of the total MAX fleet. 

According to TriMet, it will continue to operate Type 1s until all of the Type 6s have entered service. While most of the vehicles are being recycled, one of the trains – car 101 – has already been donated to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks, Ore. 

“The arrival of the final Type 6 represents a major step toward a new era for our MAX system,” said TriMet COO Inessa Vitko. “These trains are an investment in our region’s shared future – one that will continue to move our riders to opportunities safely and reliably for years to come, all while saving TriMet time and money to maintain our equipment." 

TriMet says each of the 30 new MAX trains are designed for enhanced reliability, comfort and safety while lowering overall maintenance costs. According to the agency, parts for the original Type 1s, now roughly 40 years old, have been impossible to find for years. As a result, replacement parts had to be created in-house by maintenance crews or sourced from a decommissioned Type 1.  

The agency says the completely analog Type 1s, introduced to the Portland region back in 1986, became an outlier in its fleet as train technology advanced over the decades. The Type 6s feature onboard diagnostic technology that alerts maintenance crews before issues arise, energy-efficient LED lighting, graphical digital information displays and security cameras that provide 360-degree coverage throughout each car.  

TriMet notes each train also includes a feature that may prove useful when temperatures drop below freezing. All of the Type 6s have heated ice cutters, which are attached to the trains’ pantographs. While trains are in motion, the heated cutters remove ice or prevent it from forming, thereby helping to prevent service disruptions during winter storms. 

Built for the future 

With all of the Type 6s now on-site, TriMet is setting up the MAX system to continue serving riders reliably for decades to come. The agency expects the new trains to serve riders for around 30 years, if not longer. The Type 1s have been in continuous operation since MAX service began in 1986, and some have logged more than two million miles. 

In August 2024, the agency completed the Better Red MAX Red Line Extension and Improvements project, along with several other MAX system improvements along older sections of the system, including the installation of an improved wire-tensioning system at several locations and the full renovation of the NE 82nd Ave MAX Station platform, which the agency expects to reopen by the end of the year.