Library/Southwest 9th Avenue and Galleria/Southwest 10th Avenue

Library/Southwest 9th Avenue and Galleria/Southwest 10th Avenue are light rail stops on the MAX Blue, Red, and Yellow lines in Portland, Oregon. It was the original western terminus and is now the 1st stop eastbound/last stop westbound on the Eastside MAX and Yellow Line.

The Library/Southwest 9th Avenue stop is located on Yamhill Street and is used by eastbound trains; the Galleria/Southwest 10th Avenue is on Morrison Street and is used by westbound trains. Both platforms are built into the street's sidewalk and a parking garage with ground-floor retail sits between them.

11th Avenue Loop tracks

The three 11th Avenue Loop tracks allow westbound trains terminating in downtown Portland access to Yamhill Street from Morrison Street. Previous to the opening of the Westside section of what is now the Blue Line, all trains used this facility to turn around. Red Line trains used them when its extension was opened in 2001 until it was extended to Beaverton Transit Center. Presently, the Yellow line, Portland Vintage Trolley (on Sundays), and some rush hour Blue Line trains (Gateway-City Center) use this facility.

Due to safety concerns, passengers are not allowed on trains passing through the loop and must disembark at the Galleria platform (though this was formerly allowed, without incident). The yard takes up about half a Portland City block, and includes a small maintenance pit and an operator break room. It is also used to store trains for special events.

Points of interest nearby

The Multnomah County Central Library is on the corner opposite the Library/9th platform. The Galleria, a former shopping center, now hosts the Western Culinary Institute, and is across Morrison Street from the Galleria/10th platform. This section of Portland is known as the "West End", containing the Portland Park Blocks, museums, and historic hotels.

Portland Streetcar connection

The Portland Streetcar system stops close to this MAX station, allowing transfers south to Portland State University and RiverPlace, or northbound on 10th Avenue to the Pearl District and Northwest Portland. Northbound stops are on 10th Avenue at Central Library (across Yamhill Street from the MAX platform) and Alder (one block north of the MAX platform on Morrison). Southbound stops are located on 11th Avenue at Alder and Taylor Streets (the latter behind the Central Library).

MAX trains passing through the light rail/Portland Streetcar junction have priority over streetcar traffic, though both generally move with the traffic flow. In addition, there is also a switch to bring streetcars onto the MAX line. On a rainy day, one can see sparks when either type of train pantograph hits the electrical wire junction.

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