TriMet staff cuts aimed at closing budget gap

TriMet staff cuts totaling 68 positions sit at the center of a $17.7 million cost reduction plan that is meant to address the Portland, Oregon transit agency’s ongoing structural budget deficit and widening budget gap. Announced this week and covered by Progressive Railroading, the move is one of several steps TriMet is taking to keep revenues and expenditures in closer balance over the next few years.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

TriMet budget gap and $17.7 million cost reduction plan

According to a recent TriMet press release, the $17.7 million cost reduction plan calls for eliminating 68 staff positions, including 26 nonunion employees who are being laid off. Some unionized workers whose roles were cut are being reassigned to other jobs within the organization.

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The Portland, Oregon transit agency is also offering severance packages and reemployment assistance to the 26 employees who lost their positions as part of these TriMet staff cuts to close the budget gap.

Agency officials note that the staffing changes come after several months of workforce analysis and other cost-saving reviews intended to address the TriMet structural budget deficit. Before turning to headcount reductions, the agency had already imposed a hiring freeze, reduced discretionary spending and pursued internal efficiency measures. Like many U.S. transit providers, TriMet reports that it is dealing with rising maintenance, operational and security costs while fare revenue remains below pre-pandemic levels because ridership has fallen since COVID-19, as described on its service cut information webpage.

Service cuts on bus, light-rail and commuter-rail

Alongside personnel reductions, TriMet is cutting service on its bus network. Additional service cuts on bus, light-rail and commuter-rail lines are expected in 2026 and 2027 as the agency continues to refine its cost-saving strategy. TriMet plans to collect public input on which routes and services should be reduced and has indicated that options under consideration include adjustments not only to bus operations but also to light-rail and commuter-rail offerings.

Looking ahead, TriMet forecasts a $300 million shortfall between projected revenue and expenditures over the coming years. To address this TriMet $300 million budget shortfall, the agency is combining the current cost reductions with efforts to secure new funding sources, consider fare increases and identify other revenue opportunities; its broader budget strategy has also been examined by Railway Supply in coverage of TriMet’s recent financial planning decisions.

Officials say the overarching goal is to eliminate the ongoing budget deficit entirely by July 1, 2028, bringing TriMet’s operating profile onto a more sustainable long-term financial path.

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