Our future if Boldt, Leave-it and Stuart get their way.

We know the drill.  Few have had a greater impact on the loot rail scam.  Few have done more to keep us all from voting on this fiasco.

And here's our future if they get their way:

TriMet promises new $4.3 million MAX trains will be roomier inside, even if outside looks the same

Published: Friday, April 06, 2012, 4:58 PM     Updated: Sunday, April 08, 2012, 9:25 AM

By Joseph Rose, The Oregonian The Oregonian
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View full sizeJoseph Rose/The OregonianA Type 4 train makes its first run through downtown in 2009.

TriMet riders, how are those newer, sleeker MAX trains working for you?

I’m among those who have had plenty of complaints. In 2009, shortly after the Type 4 trains debuted, I wrote about TriMet’s apparent “war on legs.” My measuring-tape tests showed the leg room on the newer models more suited for Hobbits than daily job trekkers.

So, I gave off an audible groan when I read today that TriMet is planning to spend $73.8 million on 18 “Type 5” trains from Siemens using the exact same body design as the Type 4s.

I wasn’t alone. On Twitter, Portland Afoot blogger Michael Andersen tweeted, "Boo hiss.” TriMet Diaries blogger Jeff "Dr. Jeff" Guardalabene retweeted an open "Dear Type 4" letter from December, calling the train "a rolling body cramp, an affront to basic human needs."

But even though the outside of the future trains will come from the same mold, the interior is expected to be roomier. “We’re taking lessons from the Type 4 and applying it to the Type 5,” said TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch. “We will make suggestions on what to change, from the configuration of the operator’s cabin to general rider areas.”

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