TriMet budget cuts will reshape the Portland, Oregon, transit agency’s fiscal-year 2027 plan, with reduced spending, job reductions and service changes due to take effect from July 1.

TriMet budget cuts reshape FY27 transit plan
Photo: TriMet

The board approved the FY27 budget on May 27. According to TriMet’s official Fiscal Year 2027 Approved Budget, the plan lowers total spending by about $64.5 million. That includes $53 million in administrative spending cuts and $11 million in service cuts. Even after those reductions, TriMet’s budget for the year stands at $1.75 billion, including about $1.14 billion for service, operations and capital costs.

The agency will also use $127 million from reserve funds to cover the remaining gap between expenses and revenue. That reliance on reserves remains a central issue because TriMet expects those funds to be exhausted by May 2029.

TriMet budget cuts bring staff reductions

The budget removes 400 positions from TriMet’s structure. About 140 of those jobs are currently vacant, so the number of direct layoffs is lower than the total number of positions being eliminated.

TriMet officials said many workers will be eligible to return to prior union positions. About 170 employees are expected to face layoffs: roughly 100 non-union workers and 70 union employees.

Service reductions will affect bus lines and MAX

Service reductions are scheduled to begin in August. In its official budget update, TriMet said the plan includes eliminating multiple bus lines, combining bus lines and shortening the MAX Green Line. Together, those changes will reduce weekly MAX service hours by 8.7%.

The cuts come after earlier efforts to contain spending. TriMet first announced a $300 million structural budget deficit in July 2025. In fall 2025, the agency reduced internal spending and staff, and it also paused service increases.

Reserve funds remain under pressure

TriMet officials said public transit operating costs continued to rise, while revenue did not keep pace. Because of that, the agency is working with state and local partners to identify future revenue sources.

After the additional reductions included in the fiscal-year 2027 budget, TriMet’s long-term deficit now sits at $224 million. The adopted budget narrows the gap, but it also shows that the agency’s financial pressure has not been resolved.