Editing MAX Light Rail (section)

===Predecessors===

In the early 20th century, privately funded [[interurban]]s and [[streetcar]]s gave Portland one of the largest urban rail systems in the [[Western United States|American West]], with lines that once extended as far north as [[Vancouver, Washington]], south as [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], east as [[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]], and west as [[Forest Grove, Oregon|Forest Grove]].<ref name="Selinger">{{cite web |title=Making History: 45 Years of Transit in the Portland Region |last=Selinger |first=Philip |date=2015 |publisher=TriMet |url=https://trimet.org/pdfs/history/making-history.pdf |oclc=919377348 |access-date=July 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509021212/https://trimet.org/pdfs/history/making-history.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>{{rp|7–8}}<ref name="thompson2010">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard M. |date=2010 |title=Portland's Streetcar Lines |pages=7–8 |publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-7385-8126-2 |access-date=March 12, 2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCD1zjOPXvMC&pg=PA71 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131050209/https://books.google.com/books?id=rCD1zjOPXvMC&pg=PA71 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|7–8}} Portland's first trolleys were brought over from [[San Francisco]] by [[Ben Holladay]] in 1872; they were drawn by [[horse]]s and [[mule]]s and operated by the [[Portland Street Railway Company]]. In 1890, the first electric streetcar opened in [[Albina, Oregon|Albina]] while the first [[cable car (railway)|cable car]] began serving 5th Avenue; these marked the start of an era of major rail expansion.<ref name="History of Public Transit">{{cite web |url=https://trimet.org/history/transitinportland.htm |title=A History of Public Transit in Portland |publisher=TriMet |access-date=December 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207154617/https://trimet.org/history/transitinportland.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2018}}</ref> In 1892, the [[East Side Railway Company]] opened the first long-distance interurban line—a {{convert|16|mi|km|1|adj=on|abbr=out}} route from Portland to [[Oregon City, Oregon|Oregon City]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Portland's Interurban Years |publisher=TriMet |access-date=December 5, 2018 |url=https://trimet.org/history/newinterurban.htm |archive-date=December 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206000542/https://trimet.org/history/newinterurban.htm}}</ref> The [[Portland Railway, Light and Power Company]] had taken over all local streetcars by 1906,<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |title=Portland's Streetcars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=piI9fw4I5i8C&pg=PT9 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |date=2006 |isbn=978-1-4396-3109-6 |pages=9–17 |access-date=March 11, 2019 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131050204/https://books.google.com/books?id=piI9fw4I5i8C&pg=PT9 |url-status=live }}</ref> and interurbans by 1908.<ref name="thompson-interurban">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard M. |title=Portland's Interurban Railway |year=2012 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-9617-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzNzsC23VvgC&q=%22last%20two%22%20interurban%20Bellrose&pg=PA61 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005210816/https://books.google.com/books?id=UzNzsC23VvgC&q=%22last%20two%22%20interurban%20Bellrose&pg=PA61 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|93}} In 1912, as Portland's population exceeded 250,000, transit ridership stood at 70&nbsp;million passengers annually.<ref name="Selinger"/>{{rp|8}} Passenger rail services had started to decline by the 1920s with the rise of the automobile and [[suburb]]an and [[controlled-access highway|freeway]] development.<ref name="Selinger"/>{{rp|9}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Killen |first=John |title=Past Tense Oregon: New MAX line recalls of Portland's first - and last - interurban route |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 22, 2015 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2015/06/past_tense_oregon_new_max_line.html |access-date=May 22, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522170557/https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2015/06/past_tense_oregon_new_max_line.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Portland's original streetcar lines had ceased operating by 1950,<ref name="thompson2010"/>{{rp|33}} replaced by [[bus]]es until 2001,<ref>{{cite news |last=Turnquist |first=Kristi |title=Traveling through the history of Portland's streetcars |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=February 24, 2011 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2011/02/traveling_through_the_history.html |access-date=March 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326145051/https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2011/02/traveling_through_the_history.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019}}</ref> when the modern [[Portland Streetcar]] opened in [[Downtown Portland, Oregon|downtown Portland]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Portland streetcars--something old, something new |newspaper=[[Portland Business Journal]] |date=July 19, 2001 |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2001/07/16/daily30.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014011545/http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2001/07/16/daily30.html |access-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Maves | first1=Norm Jr. |last2=Stewart |first2=Bill |title=Trolley's late scribe was 'delighted' at new line |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 20, 2001 |page=32}}</ref> The region's last two interurban lines, which traveled to Oregon City and Bellrose (Southeast 136th Avenue), permanently closed in 1958.<ref name="thompson-interurban"/>{{rp|61, 93}}<ref>{{cite news |last=David |first=Ken |title=Company Surprises Customers: Firm Abandons Passenger Run after Sundown |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=January 26, 1958 |page=1}}</ref>