It’s WES time

UPDATE • Oregon’s first commuter rail train had about 1,200 trips on its opening morning

By Leah Weissman

The Times, Jan 28, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (33 Reader comments)

Jaime Valdez / The Times

WES ON TRACK — A bird's-eye view of TriMet’s WES commuter rail train crossing Tualatin Road in Tualatin during a test run Monday. JAIME VALDEZ/The Times

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Finally, after years of talking about it, the WES train is actually coming down the track.

On Monday, Feb. 2, commuters can experience the Westside Express Service commuter rail for themselves and breathe in that new-train smell as they take their first ride on Oregon’s first and only commuter rail line. The 14.7-mile route has five stations in Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville, with trains running every 30 minutes during weekday morning and evening rush hours.

By Monday afternoon, TriMet said about 610 trips were taken WES during the first morning’s commute. That roughly translates to 1,200 trips, according to TriMet.

The busiest station of the commuter rail’s five stops was the Beaverton Transit Center, where 500 people got on or off the train (225 on and 274 off). The second-busiest was the Wilsonville station, where 265 riders got on or off the train.

Anticipated to transport between 3,000 to 4,000 passengers a day, WES is a new frontier in suburban-to-suburban public transportation — and city, county and state officials are banking on people using it regularly.

Whether or not that happens has yet to be determined. Some city officials are worried that a lack of bus routes running between stations and commuters’ work sites will hinder some people from using the public transportation. Others are just excited to see if there’s any dip in traffic along major roads such as Pacific Highway, Sunset Highway and Interstate 5.

“I’m not seeing any cons with this,” said Dan Knoll, Wilsonville public affairs coordinator. “(WES) opens up a great option. And taking any traffic off 217 and I-5 is a big plus.”

TriMet’s $166.2 million WES project has received plenty of press, both good and bad, since its inception in 1994. The joint project included four cities, two counties, two railroads, multiple state agencies, two federal agencies and Congress, according to Washington County Commissioner Chairman Tom Brian who has been dubbed the “godfather” of WES.

“It’s a wonderful story of collaboration,” Brian said Jan. 21, as he sat down in one of WES’ plush blue seats for the commuter rail’s maiden voyage from Beaverton to Wilsonville. He was accompanied by TriMet and Metro officials, county commissioners, city mayors and state dignitaries all taking their first ride in the surprisingly smooth, self-propelled railcar.

Before boarding, some officials took time out to play with the station’s unusual art — a metal table covered with moveable bronze heads called “Interactivators.” Others walked through the train admiring the swivel seats, handrails attached to every other chair and generally spacious interior.

As WES departed from the station, the sound of the train was minimal compared to the chattering of the passengers.

“I’m very excited, but what I’m really excited about is for Feb. 2 when our citizens can use this,” Tigard Mayor Craig Dirksen said.

The new commuter rail appears to be everything TriMet says it is — efficient, quick, comfortable, full of amenities from free Wi-Fi to bike hooks, and a new option for those who use public transportation.

Still, WES’ 15-year history hasn’t been without its bumps. TriMet experienced a number of roadblocks that could have derailed the project — major delays, running about $50 million over budget and contracting with a railcar manufacturing company that went out of business in December.

“There were so many people who could have stopped us along the way — and they were the same people who helped us,” Brian said.

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