Entries Tagged 'C-TRAN Info' ↓

I recently had a reader contact me asking me how to advise him to take public transportation from Salmon Creek, WA to the Portland International Airport.  I’m not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to C-TRAN but I did take a stab at providing the best directions I thought were possible.  Here was my answer to his question:

So I’m assuming you could get to the Salmon Creek Park and Ride? If so, that would probably be the best.

Here’s another question: are you planning on going on taking public transportation on a weekend or on a weekday? I’m thinking the best way for you to get to PDX would be to take a C-TRAN Express bus… unfortunately, they only run on weekdays.

So it’s a roundabout way, but this is what I’m thinking:

Take the #134 - Salmon Creek Express - from the Salmon Creek Park and Ride to downtown. It actually should be fairly quick since there won’t be any stops outside of a couple in downtown Portland. From there, your best best would be to hop onto a red line MAX at 1st and Yamhill which would take you straight to the airport. Unfortunately, it’s not the greatest direct route to the airport… but I think it may be the best.

TriMet says it takes about 38 minutes to roll on the red line MAX from downtown to the airport; I find that a little much and would peg it around more like 25 - 30 minutes. So factor in another 25 or so minutes taking the 134 and I would allow an hour and fifteen minutes to travel.

The good thing is - when you buy a C-TRAN Express ticket for the 134, you won’t have to pay any fare for MAX - that C-TRAN pass covers it. So, that’s at least working in your favor.

Hope that helps. Yeah, it’s not the best route ever, but I think that’s the best you can do.

I would like to hear from any C-TRAN users if this is the best route for this reader.  If not, what route can he take to get from, essentially, the Salmon Creek Park and Ride to the Portland International Airport?

I guess with gas being what it is these days, more & more Vancouver residents are in favor of having some sort of light rail.  The big question now is - where will it be?

The easiest way would be to extend TriMet’s Yellow Line over the Interstate Bridge and into downtown Vancouver.  But, as someone who has worked in downtown Vancouver and also has family living near there, after 5pm on weekdays downtown Vancouver is almost a ghost town.

If you go a little east from downtown, there’s more activity.  Walmart, I-205 & considerably more shops & restaurants bring in more people around that area.  Could you build off of the red line at the Parkrose Transit Center so light rail goes over the Glen Jackson Bridge and to Mill Plain?  Then again, it gets quite congested there during rush hour… and where would you have the line go?

While Vancouver might be ready for light rail, it’ll be a tough decision on how to implement it..

I was sent a request from TriMetiquette reader Christine to map out a route about how to get from Janzen Beach to a specific address listed in the Fisher’s Landing area in Vancouver, WA.  Here’s the info:

First, you want to take the #41 - Camas / Washougal Limited from Delta Park to the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center.  From there, you can either take the #30 - Burton or the #37 - Highway 99 & Mill Plain bus lines to near your ending address.  Unfortunately, for the address you specifically mentioned, no route takes you right there.  However, if you just get off the stop by the Fred Meyer / Burgerville right there on 162nd, you’ll have a short walk to your ending destination.

That help?  Hope it does!

TriMetiquette reader Ambassador Jules writes:

“I have a friend who will soon be working at the VA hospital in Vancouver, WA and wants to use public Transportation. I’ve also had this same question when wanting to visit family up there.

How do you get from downtown Portland to the ‘Couve? I’ve seen the C-Tran buses. Do they take TriMet passes? Where do you find the schedule and route info?”

Good questions! First of all (for anyone who doesn’t know), C-TRAN is Vancouver’s public transportation system. They have three Transit Centers:

• Fisher’s Landing Transit Center (SE 164th Avenue and SE Cascade Park Drive)
• 99th Street Transit Center at Stockford Village (Hazel Dell)
• Vancouver Mall Transit Center (Van Mall Drive, north parking lot next to Mervyn’s)

Along with five additional park & ride locations, which you can see on the C-TRAN Commuter Map.

The C-TRAN fare prices are as follows:

Yes, you CAN use TriMet fare to pay for C-TRAN fare.  The way it works is like this:

• If you have a 2-zone TriMet fare pass, you pay $0.50 & use that ticket for a C-TRAN All-Zone pass.
• If you have an all-zone TriMet fare pass, you do not need to pay anything additional for a C-TRAN All-Zone pass

You are also able to do this the other way around, meaning: you can use your C-TRAN fare pass to ride TriMet.  Here’s the breakdown:

• If you have an Adult C (1-Zone Adult) pass, you pay $.0.50 & use that ticket for a 2-zone TriMet ticket
• If you have an Adult C (1-Zone Adult) pass, you pay $0.80 & use that ticket for an all-zone TriMet ticket
• If you have a C-Zone Day Pass, you pay $1.25 & use that ticket for an all-day TriMet ticket

Now, to specifically address your question: yes, there are C-TRAN buses that run from downtown to near the Southwest Washington Medical Center.  The routes your friend would like to specifically use in order to go to that Vancouver hospital would be either the #37 - Highway 99 & Mill Plain bus line or the #39 - Clark College / Medical Center bus line.  The best way to get to the Southwest Washington Medical Center from downtown Portland would be:

• Take the #164 - Fisher’s Landing Express to the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center
• Board the #37 - Highway 99 & Mill Plain bus line, which takes you to your stop

Or, you could also go this way:

• Take the #105 - I-5 Express bus to downtown Vancouver
• Board the #39 - Clark College / Medical Center bus line to your stop

Hope that answers your question & gives you a nice little primer on how C-TRAN works.