Overlook Park is a light rail station in Portland, Oregon, United States, served by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. It is the eighth station southbound on the Yellow Line, which operates between North Portland, downtown Portland and Portland State University. The staggered side platform station is situated between the intersections of Fremont Street and Overlook Boulevard along the median of North Interstate Avenue, near the Interstate Medical Offices of Kaiser Permanente and a park with the same name. It is one of three stations serving North Portland's Overlook neighborhood along with North Prescott Street and North Killingsworth Street. Overlook Park station opened on May 1, 2004, as part of the Interstate MAX extension. Trains serve the station for approximately 21 hours per day on a headway of 15 minutes during most of the day.

Overlook Park
MAX Light Rail station
The station's northbound platform in 2019
General information
LocationPortland, Oregon
Coordinates45°32′55″N 122°40′51″W / 45.5486°N 122.6809°W / 45.5486; -122.6809
Owned byTriMet
Line(s) Yellow Line
Platforms2 staggered side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Bicycle facilitiesReserved bike lockers
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedMay 1, 2004
Passengers
Fall 2018557 weekday boardings[1]
Services
Preceding station TriMet Following station
Albina/​Mississippi Yellow Line North Prescott Street
towards Expo Center
Location
Map

History

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In 1999, local residents and business leaders urged Portland's regional transit agency, TriMet, to extend the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) through North Portland.[2][3] The extension, approved in June of that year, came to be referred to as the Interstate MAX.[4] In February 2000, the Portland City Council authorized the relocation of Overlook Park station's planned northbound platform closer to the main entrance of Kaiser Permanente's medical offices, despite hospital officials expressing a preference to shift both platforms closer to benefit patients.[5] Construction of the Interstate MAX began in February 2001 near the Rose Quarter.[6] Overlook Park station opened on May 1, 2004, along with Yellow Line service.[7][8]

Station details

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    Side platform, doors open on the right
Southbound ←   Yellow Line toward Union Station/Northwest 5th & Glisan (Albina/Mississippi)
Northbound   Yellow Line toward Expo Center (North Prescott Street) →
Side platform, doors open on the right    

Overlook Park station is situated at-grade along the median of North Interstate Avenue, between the intersections of Fremont Street and Overlook Boulevard. It is the first of three stations going northbound serving the Overlook neighborhood;[9] the other two are North Prescott Street and North Killingsworth Street. The station features two staggered side platforms, which are accessible via crosswalks at the ends of each platform. Its platforms consist of shelters, benches, garbage cans, ticket vending machines, and passenger information displays.[10][11] Reserved bike lockers nearby may be rented in six-month increments.[12]

Public art

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TriMet commissioned artist Fernanda D'Agostino to design the station's public artwork, which pays homage to nature, healing, and the Overlook neighborhood's Polish roots.[13] Her work, entitled Icons of Transformation, comprises two light towers and windscreens installed on the station platforms.[14] The light towers, modeled after Polish wayside shrines, feature portraits of community members overlaid with images of nature. The windscreen art glass suggests "the transforming power of nature".[15] A community map by artist Margaret Eccles depicts a shaft of wheat with roots interweaving a street grid and adorned with glass-block medical drawings derived from ancient Islamic, Chinese, and Medieval European cultures. The artist intended for this piece to convey a symbol of good health and longevity.[14]

Service

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Overlook Park station is situated between the Albina/Mississippi and North Prescott Street stations on the Interstate MAX segment of MAX Light Rail. It is eighth station southbound on the Yellow Line, which runs from the station northbound to the Expo Center and southbound through the Rose Quarter and the Portland Transit Mall to the PSU South stations at Portland State University. At Portland Union Station, most southbound Yellow Line trains operate through into the Orange Line and continue to Southeast Park Avenue station in Milwaukie.[16] Trains serve the station for approximately 21 hours per day every day of the week. The headway between trains measures 15 minutes during most of the day and up to 30 minutes in the early mornings and late evenings.[10][11][17] From the station, trains take 17 minutes to reach Expo Center station and 10 minutes to reach Union Station/Northwest 5th & Glisan station.[16] Overlook Park station averaged 557 riders per day on weekdays in fall 2018.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "TriMet MAX Light Rail Passenger Census – Fall 2018" (PDF). TriMet. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Oliver, Gordon (March 16, 1999). "New light-rail plan rises from the ashes". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  3. ^ Stewart, Bill (March 25, 1999). "Tri-Met involvement urged in north light-rail line". The Oregonian. p. B3.
  4. ^ Oliver, Gordon (June 17, 1999). "Council revives Interstate Avenue MAX line plan". The Oregonian. p. B3.
  5. ^ Stewart, Bill (February 24, 2000). "Interstate MAX altered". The Oregonian. p. D2.
  6. ^ Stewart, Bill (February 16, 2001). "Interstate MAX work will begin with Monday ceremony". The Oregonian. p. D3.
  7. ^ Leeson, Fred (February 20, 2004). "TriMet gives crowd ride on its newest MAX run". The Oregonian. p. D1.
  8. ^ Leeson, Fred (April 25, 2004). "The Yellow Line: Open for business". The Oregonian. p. B5.
  9. ^ "Overlook Neighborhood Boundary". City of Portland. March 5, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Stop ID 11505 – Overlook Park MAX Station, Southbound". TriMet. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Stop ID 11510 – Overlook Park MAX Station, Northbound". TriMet. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "Reserved Bike Lockers". TriMet. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  13. ^ Row, D. K. (April 25, 2004). "Art review: Light rail, light art". The Oregonian. p. L1.
  14. ^ a b Priester, Mary (2004). "Interstate MAX Public Art Guide" (PDF). TriMet. pp. 22–23. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  15. ^ "Public Art on MAX Yellow Line". TriMet. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "MAX Yellow Line Map and Schedules". TriMet. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  17. ^ "Frequent Service". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
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