I believe the Los Angeles-Long Beach Blue Line is also light rail. The challenge with the L.A. light rail routes is that they cross, but don't interconnect. Blue Line cars don't run on the Gold Line, Green Line equipment doesn't run on Blue, etc.

The MAX system is exactly that, a system that allows interconnections and efficient use of the rolling stock fleet on ALL the routes. MAX cars out of the Elmonica (Beaverton) pool can operate from Hillsboro to Gresham on the Blue Line one day and to the Airport on the Red Line the next. Cars out of the Ruby Junction (Gresham) pool normally rotate on the Blue and Yellow lines.

The Ruby Junction shop complex also includes the test track where TriMet is performing "burn in" testing on its Type 4 (Siemens S70 "Avanto") cars. The agency has 8 of an expected 22 on site, operating in four married pairs (these cars have operator cabs on the "A" ends only; the "B" end has passenger seating).