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The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) recently received a $4.2 million Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant from the Federal Transit Administration to expand the use of regenerative braking systems on MAX trains.

The grant will enable TriMet to install 20 energy storage units on light-rail vehicles to capture most of the energy generated by the trains' braking systems. Since 1997, the agency has employed regenerative braking systems on MAX trains that can reuse 70 percent of the energy they produce. The new units will release stored energy to help power the trains and other trains on TriMet’s system, as well as capture and use nearly 100 percent of all power generated by braking systems — saving the agency $168,000 annually in energy costs.

"We’re excited to be on the cutting edge of energy-saving technology and serving as a model for other transit agencies across the country," said TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane in a prepared statement.

The TIGGER grant program funds projects designed to increase the usage of clean fuels, reduce energy consumption, and cut emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. TriMet was one of 27 grant recipients from a pool of 173 applicants.