I think it should be completely underground from the west Robertson Tunnel portal until the Banfield to dodge the small downtown blocks, allowing for 3 or 4 car trains. Additionally, I don’t think there should be a park avenue station, as it is within walking distance within pioneer square station, which could also be a new streetcar hub, with a downtown streetcar line going on a loop from Goose Hollow up to union station, down to PSU, back to union station, and back to goose hollow, using all of the existing downtown MAX track. This should be interlined with a line to Lake Oswego, which, coming from Lake Oswego, should use the existing orange line track, loop up to union station, and then goes back down towards Lake Oswego. The other line this downtown loop line should be interlined with a line to Hollywood, which uses existing track by the Lloyd center and convention center, through the steel bridge, down towards Goose Hollow via Old Town/Chinatown, but turns around at the old MAX turnaround which used to serve the Banfield, Red, and Yellow lines. Finally, I think the whole MAX system should be underground downtown to allow for the streetcar system to greatly expand like I just mentioned. Like the Eglinton crosstown in Toronto, the MAX lines should be like a normal LRT in the suburbs, but like a light metro downtown. For example, The Red, Green, and Blue lines should surface when they start going parallel to the Banfield, the Yellow line should surface sometime before the Albina/Mississippi station, and the Orange line should surface somewhere in the southern 405/5 interchange.
I think it should be completely underground from the west Robertson Tunnel portal until the Banfield to dodge the small downtown blocks, allowing for 3 or 4 car trains. Additionally, I don’t think there should be a park avenue station, as it is within walking distance within pioneer square station, which could also be a new streetcar hub, with a downtown streetcar line going on a loop from Goose Hollow up to union station, down to PSU, back to union station, and back to goose hollow, using all of the existing downtown MAX track. This should be interlined with a line to Lake Oswego, which, coming from Lake Oswego, should use the existing orange line track, loop up to union station, and then goes back down towards Lake Oswego. The other line this downtown loop line should be interlined with a line to Hollywood, which uses existing track by the Lloyd center and convention center, through the steel bridge, down towards Goose Hollow via Old Town/Chinatown, but turns around at the old MAX turnaround which used to serve the Banfield, Red, and Yellow lines. Finally, I think the whole MAX system should be underground downtown to allow for the streetcar system to greatly expand like I just mentioned. Like the Eglinton crosstown in Toronto, the MAX lines should be like a normal LRT in the suburbs, but like a light metro downtown. For example, The Red, Green, and Blue lines should surface when they start going parallel to the Banfield, the Yellow line should surface sometime before the Albina/Mississippi station, and the Orange line should surface somewhere in the southern 405/5 interchange.