Well, technically, the 25th anniversary of the Blue Line is on Monday. But TriMet is celebrating it today by giving speeches in Pioneer Square and putting birds on things!

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I happened to run into State Representative Lew Frederick at the noon time event. He was a reporter back when the line ran its first train in 1986. “They were shoving people on there like it was a Japanese bullet train,” he recalled.

Here are some TriMet-issued statistics in honor of the day: MAX carried 26 percent of rush-hour commuters heading from downtown east along I-84 or west along the Sunset Highway; 43 percent of adults in the region use TriMet at least once a month; Free passes for all Portland high school students might be axed in December (oh wait, that last one isn’t on the official celebration flier).

Anyway, happy birthday, MAX! I always envision this guy as your anthropomorphized self:

Whattup, its my birthday! Wheres this green line everyone talks about?
  • “Whattup, it’s my birthday! Where’s this ‘green line’ everyone talks about?”

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.