TriMet will launch its FX 2-Division line on 18 September 2022 to offer fast and efficient bus services in Southeast Portland, Oregon.
The FX (Frequent Express) service will cut travel times by up to 20 percent between Downtown Portland and Gresham and will provide passengers with more frequent and reliable buses.
To help minimise overall travel times on the 2-Division route, 42 new bus stations have been built between Gresham’s Cleveland Park & Ride and Tilikum Crossing, where rider demand is greatest. The new stations include seating, lighting, rain and wind protection and TransitTracker displays.
The new TriMet FX service will also benefit from transit signal priority technology that will time traffic lights to ensure buses are less likely to meet a red light.
Transit signal priority systems have previously relied on infrared emitters inside buses and receivers on top of traffic lights, which need to be near each other to work. However, TriMet is now installing cellular technology that collects information about the location and speed of a bus and sends it to a cloud server, which adjusts the signals according to the bus’s expected arrival time at the intersection.
This technology is also programmed to provide priority to pedestrian signals near transit stops to help people reach their stop ahead of the bus’s arrival.
In collaboration with transit signal priority technology specialist, LYT, TriMet is installing this system at 58 intersections on the 15-mile route between Downtown Portland and Gresham.
Furthermore, the FX 2-Division line will provide a higher capacity service using 60-foot long buses that will run at frequencies of 12 minutes or less throughout the day. These larger vehicles will increase the capacity of each bus by 60 percent.
Thanks to the articulated design, these larger buses will allow passengers to board and pay through three different doors, which will speed up the boarding process and ensure the service remains efficient and reliable.
