Pioneer Square South and Pioneer Square North stations

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Coordinates: 45°31′08″N 122°40′46″W / 45.51889°N 122.67944°W / 45.51889; -122.67944
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This article is about the light rail stations in Portland, Oregon. It is not to be confused with Pioneer Square station in Seattle.

Pioneer Square South  Pioneer Square North  
MAX Light Rail stations
Pioneer Square North station in 2022
General information
LocationPioneer Courthouse Square
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°31′08″N 122°40′46″W / 45.51889°N 122.67944°W / 45.51889; -122.67944
Owned byTriMet
Line(s) Blue Line
Red Line
Platforms2 one-way side platforms
Tracks2 (1 per split)
ConnectionsMAX Green, Orange, Yellow lines (at Pioneer Courthouse and Pioneer Place); C-Tran, TriMet bus (Portland Transit Mall)
Construction
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedSeptember 5, 1986 (1986-09-05)
Passengers
Fall 20191,796 (Pioneer Square South)
3,327 (Pioneer Square North)
5,123 (total)
weekday boardings[1]
Services
Preceding station TriMet Following station
Pioneer Square North
Galleria/​Southwest 10th Avenue
towards Hatfield Government Center
 Blue Line Morrison/​Southwest 3rd Avenue
One-way operation
Galleria/​Southwest 10th Avenue
towards Beaverton Transit Center
 Red Line
Pioneer Square South
Library/​Southwest 9th Avenue
One-way operation
 Blue Line Yamhill District
towards Cleveland Avenue
Red Line Yamhill District
towards Portland Airport
Former services
Preceding station TriMet Following station
Pioneer Square North
Galleria/​Southwest 10th Avenue
towards Hatfield Government Center
 Blue Line
1986–2020
 Mall/Southwest 5th Avenue
(closed)
One-way operation
Galleria/​Southwest 10th Avenue
towards Beaverton Transit Center
 Red Line
2004–2020
Galleria/​Southwest 10th Avenue
Terminus
 Yellow Line
2004–2009
Pioneer Square South
Library/​Southwest 9th Avenue
One-way operation
 Blue Line
1986–2020
 Mall/Southwest 4th Avenue
(closed)
towards Cleveland Avenue
Red Line
2001–2020
 Mall/Southwest 4th Avenue
(closed)
towards Portland Airport
Yellow Line
2004–2009
 Mall/Southwest 4th Avenue
(closed)
towards Expo Center
Location
Map

Pioneer Square South and Pioneer Square North are a pair of light rail stations in Portland, Oregon, United States, served by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. Situated directly west of the Portland Transit Mall at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, they occupy the sidewalk on Yamhill and Morrison streets between Broadway and 6th Avenue. The stations consist of one side platform each; trains traveling eastbound stop at Pioneer Square South while trains traveling westbound stop at Pioneer Square North.

The Pioneer Square stations are among the 27 original stations of the Banfield Light Rail Project, which built the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX), Portland's first light rail line. They opened along with the inaugural service of MAX on September 5, 1986. The stations are currently served by the Blue Line, which operates between Hillsboro and Gresham, and the Red Line, which operates between Beaverton and Portland International Airport. The Yellow Line had served the stations from May 2004 until August 2009 when the line was rerouted to the Portland Transit Mall.

The Pioneer Square stations, along with the Pioneer Courthouse/Southwest 6th and Pioneer Place/Southwest 5th stations located one block east, mark the only transfer point where riders can board any of the five existing MAX lines.

Location[edit]

See also: Pioneer Courthouse Square

The Pioneer Square stations occupy the sidewalks facing Yamhill and Morrison streets between Broadway and 6th Avenue at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. The square, commonly referred to as "Portland's Living Room", is situated on a 40,006-square-foot (3,716.7 m2) city block in the center of downtown. It features several pieces of artwork, including the Waterfall Fountain, a water feature built of granite, and the Weather Machine and Allow Me sculptures.[2][3] Oregon's first Starbucks outlet sits on the northwest corner of the square,[4] while a news television studio for KGW called "Studio on the Square" occupies the southeast corner.[5] Neighboring office towers include the American Bank Building to the north and the Jackson Tower and 6Y building to the south.[6] Nordstrom Downtown Portland occupies the block to the west.

History[edit]

The downtown city block bound by Morrison and Yamhill streets to the north and south and 6th Avenue and Broadway to the east and west had been occupied by various structures,[7] including Portland's first public school,[8][9] the Portland Hotel,[10] and a two-story parking garage.[7] In 1969, block owner Meier & Frank requested a permit to construct an 800-car parking garage at the site,[11] which the Portland City Council rejected following a series of heated public hearings.[12] The controversial proposal led the city and local businesses to pursue a comprehensive downtown plan that envisioned turning the site into a public space instead.[13][14] After negotiating with Meier & Frank, the city purchased the property and in 1980, announced a national design competition for a plaza that would be called "Pioneer Courthouse Square".[7]

Portland's first light rail line, which planners referred to as the Banfield Light Rail Project, received federal approval for construction in September 1980. Just over a year later, TriMet published a conceptual design report of the project that outlined a 27-station, 15.1-mile (24.3 km) line and included a pair of light rail stations at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The plans called for a pair of platforms along the north and south ends of the square on Morrison and Yamhill streets.[15]: 37–38  Construction of the line commenced in April 1983 in Gresham and largely progressed from east to west,[16][17] with the downtown segment among the final sections to be completed.[18] Street and sidewalk reconstruction work finally reached downtown in March the following year.[19] While work continued on the line, the city finished building the square and dedicated it on April 6, 1984.[20][21] By March 1986, major light rail construction work had ceased.[18] Line testing in downtown began with the arrival of the first light rail car two months later.[22][23]

On September 5, 1986, the light rail line, which TriMet officially named the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX), opened to the public.[24] A three-day celebration took place across the route, including at Pioneer Courthouse Square, which hosted an opening ceremony and several concerts.[25] Over 3,000 people gathered at the square to welcome the 11:45 am arrival of the first train from Gresham.[26] Until 1998, MAX only ran from 11th Avenue in downtown Portland to Cleveland Avenue in central Gresham, with a stop at the Pioneer Square stations.[24] In September 1998, TriMet extended MAX service farther west to Hatfield Government Center in downtown Hillsboro in Washington County with the opening of the Westside MAX extension. Three years later, the Red Line became the second line to serve the Pioneer Square stations following the opening of the Airport MAX extension, which introduced an airport rail link between downtown Portland and Portland International Airport. The original service between Hillsboro and Gresham was subsequently renamed the Blue Line.[27] In September 2003, TriMet extended the Red Line westward to Beaverton Transit Center.[28] From 2004 to 2009, the Yellow Line, which runs to the Expo Center in North Portland, also stopped at these stations until TriMet rerouted it to the light rail tracks on Portland Transit Mall in August 2009.[29]

Station details[edit]

Sidewalk
platform 		Westbound ← Blue Line toward Hatfield Government Center (Galleria/Southwest 10th Avenue)
← Red Line toward Beaverton Transit Center (Galleria/Southwest 10th Avenue)
Side platform, doors will open on the left
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Sidewalk
platform 		Side platform, doors will open on the left
Eastbound → Blue Line toward Cleveland Avenue (Yamhill District) →
→ Red Line toward Portland International Airport (Yamhill District) →

Each station comprises one side platform as MAX operates in a one-way pair along the Yamhill–Morrison segment.[15]: 37–38  Pioneer Courthouse Square is situated between the two platforms.[30]: 6–6  Amenities include ticket vending machines, garbage cans, shelters, and schedule information displays.[31][32] TriMet's ticket office is located inside the visitor information center on the west side of the square between the Waterfall Fountain. Fares may be purchased at the ticket office or from ticket vending machines on the platforms.[30]: 6–6 

Service[edit]

The Pioneer Square stations are served by two MAX lines: the MAX Blue Line, which operates from Hatfield Government Center station in Hillsboro in the west to Cleveland Avenue station in Gresham in the east, and the MAX Red Line, which operates from Beaverton Transit Center in the west to Portland International Airport in the east.[31][32][33] From the stations, westbound trains take approximately 25 minutes to reach Beaverton Transit Center and 50 minutes to reach Hatfield Government Center station.[34] Eastbound trains take approximately 35 minutes to reach Portland International Airport station and 50 minutes to reach Cleveland Avenue station.[35][36] The stations together recorded an average 5,123 riders on weekdays in fall 2019.[1]

TriMet considers the Pioneer Courthouse Square vicinity a transit hub.[30]: 6–6  It is the only point in the MAX system where all five existing light rail services interconnect.[37] The northbound light rail tracks on the Portland Transit Mall run along the immediate east side of the Pioneer Square station platforms on 6th Avenue; this provides a transfer to the MAX platform of Pioneer Courthouse/Southwest 6th station across the street,[38] served by the Green and Yellow lines.[37] On the opposite end of this adjacent block, which is occupied by the Pioneer Courthouse,[39] is the southbound MAX station, Pioneer Place/Southwest 5th;[40] this station is served by the Green and Orange lines.[37]

The Pioneer Square stations also facilitate transfers to TriMet and C-Tran buses serving the Portland Transit Mall,[37][41] including a future connection to FX–Division via stops 5th and Salmon and 6th and Taylor.[42][43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "TriMet MAX Light Rail Passenger Census – Fall 2019" (PDF). TriMet. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pioneer Courthouse Square". City of Portland. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Southwest Portland Fountains". City of Portland. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Hamburg, Ken (August 23, 1989). "Starbucks grabs spot in Portland coffee trade". The Oregonian.
  5. ^ "KGW's Studio on the Square". KGW. September 16, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Bell, Jon (August 5, 2019). "Downtown office building goes for nearly $20M more than it did just two years ago". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Vattiat, Drew (October 4, 2013). "The history of Pioneer Courthouse Square in photos". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "Central School". Oregon Historical Society. March 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Killen, John (June 11, 2015). "Throwback Thursday: Portland public schools, started in 1850s, took awhile to catch on". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Portland Hotel: Once the place to see and be seen". The Oregonian. April 2, 2011. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "New Parking Structure Proposed". The Oregonian. October 31, 1969. p. 6.
  12. ^ "History: Timeline". Pioneer Courthouse Square Administrative Office. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Alesko, Michael (February 8, 1978). "Pioneer Square work start predicted in 1979". The Oregonian. p. C4.
  14. ^ Vattiat, Drew (October 4, 2013). "History of Pioneer Courthouse Square: The winning design and four rejected finalists from 1980 (photos)". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (November 1, 1981). Banfield Light Rail Project: Conceptual Design Information for the City of Portland (Report). Vol. 9. TriMet Collection. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  16. ^ Federman, Stan (March 11, 1983). "Tri-Met opens bids on first light-rail track work". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  17. ^ Federman, Stan (March 31, 1983). "Light-rail work gets go-ahead". The Oregonian. p. D16.
  18. ^ a b Federman, Stan (March 4, 1986). "Light rail's jolly trolley progress on track". The Oregonian. p. B5.
  19. ^ "Light-rail work [photo and caption only]". The Oregonian. March 10, 1984. p. C1. Ralph L. Mowatt, a welder for Portland General Electric Co., cuts iron beam in street at Southwest First Avenue and Morrison Street on Friday as construction on the Banfield light-rail project moved downtown this week with utilities beginning to relocate lines.
  20. ^ Ritz, Richard E. (April 3, 1984). "Flow of people will complete square's design". The Oregonian. p. B5.
  21. ^ Gragg, Randy (April 4, 1994). "Pioneer Courthouse Square: Soul of the City" (10th anniversary feature)". The Oregonian. pp. A1, A6.
  22. ^ Murphy, Bill (May 9, 1986). "Downtown debut". The Oregonian. p. 1. The first Tri-Met light-rail car to appear downtown is towed up Southwest Morrison Street Thursday. It will be open for public inspection at downtown locations for the next week.
  23. ^ "Shoppers get first look at Tri-Met light-rail car". The Oregonian. May 9, 1986. p. D8.
  24. ^ a b Federman, Stan (September 5, 1986). "All aboard! MAX on track; ride free". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  25. ^ "Riding the Rails; Schedule of events: Sept. 5–7". The Oregonian. September 5, 1986. p. T4.
  26. ^ Hayakawa, Alan R. (September 6, 1986). "Whistle-stop tour inaugurates MAX light rail". The Oregonian. p. B6.
  27. ^ Oliver, Gordon (September 11, 2001). "Portland now 'the city that moves', mayor says [opening of MAX Red Line]". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  28. ^ Leeson, Fred (August 27, 2003). "MAX fares increase, direct service from Beaverton to PDX starts". The Oregonian. p. D2.
  29. ^ "New MAX line opens downtown". Portland Tribune. August 28, 2009. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  30. ^ a b c "Community Building Sourcebook: Land use and transportation initiatives in Portland, Oregon" (PDF). TriMet. December 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Stop ID 8334 – Pioneer Square South MAX Station". TriMet. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Stop ID 8383 – Pioneer Square North MAX Station". TriMet. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  33. ^ Rail System Map with transfers (PDF) (Map). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  34. ^ "MAX Blue Line, Weekday Westbound to Portland City Center and Hillsboro" (PDF). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  35. ^ "MAX Blue Line, Weekday Eastbound to Portland City Center and Gresham" (PDF). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  36. ^ "MAX Red Line, Weekday To Portland City Center and Airport" (PDF). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  37. ^ a b c d Portland City Center and Transit Mall (PDF) (Map). TriMet. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  38. ^ Google (March 10, 2020). "Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th Ave MAX Stn" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  39. ^ Google (March 10, 2020). "Pioneer Courthouse" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  40. ^ Google (March 10, 2020). "Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave MAX Station" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  41. ^ "#105 I-5 Express". C-Tran. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  42. ^ "Segment 1: Downtown" (PDF). TriMet. November 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  43. ^ "Division Transit Project (2020)" (PDF). TriMet. January 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.

External links[edit]

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