Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, USA

Table of Contents

Overview - Eugene

Located on the Willamette River, Eugene is the seat of Lane County and the third largest city by population in Oregon. It has approximately 178,000 inhabitants in the city proper as of 2023. To the east lies Springfield, with approximately 61,000 inhabitants in the city proper as of 2023. The Eugene metropolitan area (Eugene-Springfield) comprised 381,181 residents as of the 2023 US Census Bureau Estimate.

Eugene-Springfield's rapid transit network consists of two bus rapid transit lines operated as a single bus rapid transit service.

Emerald Express

Opened 2007, the Emerald Express (EmX) consists of two bus rapid transit lines operated as a single service that serves the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon.

EmX Eugene Line

The EmX Eugene Line of the Emerald Express is a bus rapid transit line on an East-West alignment. It runs from Commerce in the west to Springfield in the east via Eugene, serving 23 stations. The section between Eugene and Springfield is referred to as the EmX Green Line (Franklin Corridor) and the section west of Eugene is referred to as the West Eugene Extension. Only select portions of the EmX Green Line are BRT-grade; most of the remaining corridor uses curbside bus lanes or runs in mixed traffic. Service continues onto the Gateway Line.

The EmX Green Line was opened in January 2007 and the last extension to the line was the West Eugene extension to Commerce in September 2017. McVay station reopened in December 2019. EmX Eugene is operated by the Lane Transit District.

EmX Gateway Line

The EmX Gateway Line of the Emerald Express is a bus rapid transit line on a North-South alignment. It runs from Springfield in the south to Gateway Mall and the Sacred Heart Medical Center in the north, serving 16 stations. In the northern loop, buses alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise, effectively branching the service. The line uses a dedicated busway along Pioneer Parkway and a median busway on Riverbend Drive and International Way, but otherwise runs in curbside lanes and mixed traffic. Service continues onto the Eugene Line. While we use the historical color for the line on the above strip map, the through service operation has been in place for years now and the dedicated Gateway Line color is no longer in use on official media.

The EmX Gateway Line was opened in January 2011. EmX Gateway is operated by the Lane Transit District.

References & Helpful Links

Emerald Express at Wikipedia

Official Website for Emerald Express: Lane Transit District

Maps

Other Sources

Eugene, USA at BRTDATA.org

Asset Notes

EmX line and icon colors taken from official map as of Sept 2019.