D Wrote:
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> Folding platform extensions were built into each
> passenger station. After the last passenger train
> passed each evening, the station agent flipped the
> extensions back onto the fixed platform.
> Night freight service to local companies.
> First shift station agent replaced the platform
> extensions.

First of all, there are no station agents, so it'd be hard to justify hiring five people to do nothing more than moving platform extensions. (I guess they could sell tickets and provide 'security', two things which have been a challenge to TriMet lately.)

Secondly, freight traffic will not be restricted to night-time hours. If P&W would have agreed to do this, then TriMet could have purchased non-compliant DMU equipment (i.e. Bombardier Talent, Siemens Desiro) which would have eliminated high-level platforms and the need for "gauntlet" tracks. This could have also allowed TriMet to locate the Beaverton TC WES station closer to the MAX platforms, allowing for a "cross-platform" transfer instead of having to walk across the bus area.