Interesting info in the comments section of this article...

[www.portlandtribune.com]

Still don't have a concrete answer but the FRA rule appears to give Tri-met an out. If Tri-met just "assumes" they are compliant since their equipment was manufactured prior to 1999, then as long as the FRA doesn't otherwise request confirmation of structure tests, they can operate?

In other words, until an accident actually occurs and kills people, they can operate. But I'll bet the before mentioned derails are in place for a reason.

My biggest beef with WES is that it currently only benefits about 600 people. They inflate ridership numbers by including every trip and every board as a new rider, but in the end, only about 600 people, give or take, actually ride this thing to and from work. Divide the cost of building this thing by 600 people and you've got the poster child for tax payer waste.

Meanwhile, bridges that carry tens of thousands of people per day that are on the verge of collapse can't be replaced because of funding shortages.

-Brian