TRIMET GREEN LINE OPENING

http://trimetofficialinformation.blogspot.com/2009/09/trimet-green-line-opens.html



I had one of those VIP tickets, but really there was no point to those- they were for the inaugural train from PSU to Clackamas at 11:20am.I got to PSU at about 11 and Fred was already speaking. I had to runover to campus briefly so I missed most of the opening remarks, and Igot back to the platform to catch the end of his speech where Fredasked everyone in the audience who had worked on any part of the GreenLine to raise their hands & everyone else applauded. This wasfollowed by a dance routine.The platform for the train was packed - I saw a few people who had VIPtickets, but not everyone seemed to. A set of Type 4s pulled in butthey were out of service, so a few TriMet volunteers was doing theirbest to keep everyone off of the tactile strip on the platform sinceeveryone was trying to rush the out of service train. Then anotherset of 4s pulled in with a "Green Means Go" decoration on the front,and this one was for us. It was being operated by the Rail Operatorof the Year, with a training supervisor and a Siemens guy also in thecab. Everyone crowded on, train at capacity almost instantly. No onechecked or collected the VIP tickets, so I don't know what the pointof giving those out was, aside from getting people into a Cricketstore since they were a big sponsor of this. Fred and Steve were onthe train too, but they got off at Pioneer Square and didn't go allthe way out to Clackamas. The train did service all the platforms, soagain, no point to the VIP tickets.At Clackamas (and presumably at Pioneer Square) a Cricket employee wasgiving out wristbands, and you were supposed to go to the Cricketstore & show the wristband to get an envelope which had a prize in it. Problem was at Clackamas, the nearest Cricket store was about a milewalk from the mall which is great fun in the heat, so I don't think alot of people went - it wasn't crowded at all in there despite all thepeople who got wristbands as we got off the train. I got PSU footballtickets in my envelope and gave them to some guy walking in as I wasleaving.That's pretty much it - there was a block-party type thing going on atboth Clackamas and in Pioneer Square where all the sponsors hadbooths, and there were long lines to get on the Green Line trains butthe other trains were pretty empty - I switched to a Red Line atGateway coming back from Clackamas and there was barely anyone on it.I think a lot of people were confused at the trains on the Green Line- all the ads show Type 4s on the Green Line, but the older fleetservice it as well and I heard several people commenting that theywere disappointed that they got the old train instead of the new ones.