[nagdu] Latest info on MAX trains and shocks?

[Miriam]

Hi,

I will be traveling with my guide dog to the Portland, OR area for the 
first time in a little over a week. I will be using the light rail while 
I'm there, possibly extensively, and I know there have been ongoing 
problems with guide dogs' getting their feet shocked around the tracks. 
Basically I'm looking for the most up-to-date, detailed information I 
can find on this situation in case there are e.g. certain places I 
should avoid during certain weather conditions.

I did seek out information from the GDB campus in Boring, and after 
being bounced around for a while, I was told that the shocks had 
initially seemed restricted to the westside but had now expanded; 
however, that they also overwhelmingly seemed to occur in the winter 
months, during a combination of colder weather and precipitation. It was 
suggested that I probably didn't have to worry overly much in the 
summer, though I could use booties if I was really concerned. It was 
also mentioned that the shocks seemed to happen more frequently around 
the automatic ramps, which I had read elsewhere.

If someone who uses the MAX regularly and/or someone who is keeping tabs 
on the situation could verify or elaborate on this information, that 
would be terrific. I would like to avoid using booties if at all 
possible, but of course would do so if there was a significant risk.

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Best,
Miriam