The curtain was about to go up on TriMet's newest MAX light rail rail line, and the players were waiting backstage in this view of the Ruby Junction yard in Gresham.

It shows most of TriMet's new Type 4 (Siemens S70 "Avanto") cars, which were undergoing final acceptance testing before entering service in September 2009.

The car on the far left was a new arrival, one of the final deliveries to the 22-car 400-series. It was still wrapped in the blue plastic that protected it from the elements on its trip north from the Siemens plant in Sacramento.

Light rail service on the new ROW along the downtown Portland transit mall began Aug. 30, 2009, when trains on the existing Yellow Line moved to the new alignment.

The brand-new Green Line began operations Sep. 12, with trains running on the entire route between downtown Portland and Clackamas Town Center. This will include the new alignment along Interstate 205.

The new Siemens cars operate in married pairs, since only the "A" ends have operator's cabs. They run on all four MAX routes in regular service.

Photographed by Thomas McCann, August 4, 2009.
Added to the photo archive by Thomas McCann, August 5, 2009.

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