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W r 2 2 HERITAGE PINE illamett 82nd 4 NATURAL AREA Tualatin rive D r Today, Portland & Westerne Railroad owns the freighte line and, in a Cl TUALATIN RIVER GLADSTONE v a i c fic Hwy 4th ka NATIONAL ci R 2 m Pa a WILDLIFE REFUGE 1 s s/Hwy 224 Tualatin a groundbreaking agreement, provides contractm services to the commuter MARY S. YOUNG a NORTH LOGAN k TUALATIN STATE c CLACKAMAS RIVER NATURAL AREA RECREATION AREA la d C oo rail project that became WES. akers Ferry BARTON rw Sagert B PARK he t in- S J r t Tuala o h n we WEST l s Langer o E n LINN egon RIVER ISLAND Or 65th Transportation limits and pressures Holcomb Sp B rin o gw r at l e a Salamo r n Overd time, traditional travel patternsOregon City shifted in Washington County. Transit Center d SHERWOOD or Boones Ferry ta• Sunset S Rather than living in the suburbs and commuting to work in Portland’s

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CITY s a c L a I-5/Hwy 217Mou corridor. McLoughlin Mo NEWELL d Ba s ntain CREEK e k l e e a CANYON c t ll le fi r e CANEMAH ap ci P WILLAMETTE RIVERBLUFF a M a L P d t el n in an o P From 1994 to 2000, the number ofd households in the corridor grew 34 percent l a COFFEE LAKE WILSONVILLE tr South E n CREEK e WETLANDS faster than the rest of the PortlandC region, while the number of jobs rose Bea v e WILLAMETTE rcr at a rate 55NARROWS percent faster than anywhere else in eethe region. Furthermore, FOREST k Wilsonville corridor employment is expected to increase more than 40 percent by 2025. At the same time, Washington County also is bound by geographic WES (Westside Express Service) constraints that restrict transportation options. Low mountains define the is a commuter rail line serving east and west sides of the corridor, and the Tualatin River and Fanno Creek Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin run through the area. and Wilsonville. WES runs Collaborating for success every 30 minutes during Driven by the desire to improve transit options for residents and employees the weekday morning and in the heavily traveled corridor, local officials began to explore various afternoon rush hour. alternatives in 1996. Although the majority of the WES line uses existing freight alignment, a short section of new was constructed on Lombard Avenue between Farmington Road and . State and local agencies simultaneously implemented planned An Electric passenger on the alignment in the street improvements in order to limit duration early 20th century. of construction. Washington County and its eastern cities identified a Community outreach unique opportunity in the 100-year-old rail corridor, Construction crews minimized the impact of noise which was used primarily for freight transport. They and road closures to nearby businesses and residences. saw the potential to use this resource for adding a Advance notice of construction schedules and commuter rail line to serve four cities: Beaverton, schedule changes were provided to local jurisdictions, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville. businesses and residences. Together with county leaders, the mayors of The project also worked to capitalize on the line’s Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, Wilsonville and Sherwood unique setting. Characterized by parklands, wetlands championed commuter rail. Working with Metro, and flood plains, the WES alignment takes riders TriMet and the Oregon Department of Transportation, through areas seldom seen by commuters. The the team launched a feasibility study to consider Tualatin River and Fanno Creek crisscross the route. commuter rail as a viable alternative. Then Oregon TriMet, the City of Tigard and Clean Water Services House member Tom Brian took a leadership role to partnered on an 11-acre wetland mitigation project secure funding for follow-up studies. at Tigard’s Fanno Creek Park, adjacent to the line. Obtaining or building a right-of-way in a high growth The project also refurbished a steel truss bridge built area is challenging and expensive. This concept took in the 1920s. advantage of the existing railroad right-of-way to limit construction impacts. Project innovations Construction highlights A new kind of rail car WES vehicles share the track with freight trains and Using existing freight tracks in a dedicated corridor the project team installed a state-of-the-art signal meant minimal construction impacts to businesses system with computerized dispatch for vehicle and resident along most of the new line. coordination and safety. The first phase of WES construction in 2006 involved Four (DMU) cars were built for the removal and installation of track, ties and ballast the project, and TriMet maintains the vehicles at the between Wilsonville and Beaverton. These necessary WES Wilsonville Maintenance Facility. The are improvements allowed trackway upgrades to self-propelled units, and don’t require a accommodate commuter rail train speeds of up to engine or overhead electrical wiring. They also can pull 60 miles per hour. a second car. During construction, the project deployed a In January 2011, TriMet added two rail diesel cars specialized track rehabilitation machine called the (RDCs) to the WES fleet to serve as replacement cars P811 to simultaneously dismantle existing track, when one of the DMUs needs maintenance or repair. pick up existing ties, plow existing ballast, place new concrete ties and thread new rail. The P811 was Built in 1953 by Budd Co., the two cars received repairs chosen to speed rail reconstruction, replacing 14 miles and modifications from WES mechanics to provide of trackway in 30 days. safe and comfortable contemporary service. WES service debuted with four diesel multiple unit (DMU) vehicles.

Public art The Commuter Rail Art Advisory Committee, composed Ultimately, more than 50,000 individuals and of representatives from every station area, guided households were reached by the safety campaign. the public art program. The committee selected Northwest artists Frank Boyden and Brad Rude to Train horn mitigation develop artwork for the stations. The artwork created In January 2011, a quiet zone and wayside horns consists of a series of interactive sculptures, titled became operational along the WES and freight The Interactivators. Sited at all five WES stations, each alignment in Tualatin. The quiet zone stretches sculpture speaks to the natural environment of the 2.4 miles and encompasses four crossings, while surrounding community, while remaining linked to the the wayside horns are installed at four downtown other sculptures along the rail line. crossings. These train horn mitigations were installed at the request of community members, and funded by Additionally, a mural at the WES project partners and the American Recovery and depicts the diverse flora and fauna of the Tualatin Reinvestment Act. River watershed, through which the line passes. Safety To prepare local communities for WES service and an increase of 32 trains per day with the ability to go 60 miles per hour through 29 crossings, TriMet developed a safety outreach campaign. Safety presentations and printed safety materials were provided to motorists, residents, potential trackway trespassers, K–12 students, law enforcement officials, emergency responders, social service agencies and professional drivers, including delivery and school bus drivers. Probando trenes ahora. Otoño del 2008 inicia el servicio Materials containing core safety messages consisted a pasajeros el tren WES. of direct mailings, fact sheets, posters, billboards and two versions of a safety video—one for a general audience and one for middle and high school students. Safety materials were sent to and published by: • Community newsletters Aprenda más en trimet.org/wes • City and county websites • School newspapers and sports programs Parent newsletters • WES safety materials, such as these posters, appeared at • Local newspapers public venues along the commuter rail alignment. Expo Center Airport

WILLAMETTE RIVER

Pioneer Square Hillsboro

Gresham PSU Beaverton Clackamas Town Center Milwaukie Wilsonville Snapshots Frequency Timeline Weekdays every 30 minutes during morning and afternoon rush hours. 1996–1999 Preliminary studies 1999–2002 Local community and jurisdiction approval Travel times Beaverton to Wilsonville 27 minutes 2006 Federal approval (FFGA) Beaverton to Tigard 11 minutes October 2006–January 2009 Construction Wilsonville to Tigard 18 minutes February 2009 Service begins Bus and connections Annual Ridership Connects with 15 TriMet bus lines along the WES route. At Beaverton Transit Center, connects with MAX Red and Blue lines light rail service. At Wilsonville, connects with bus lines serving Salem (Cherriots), Canby (CAT) and Wilsonville (SMART).

ries Funding in otal million

million in thosans of ries er ear in of ries thosans eional an oal million million eeral Facilities tate Length 14.7 miles Stations 5 Park & Rides 4, with nearly 700 spaces Maintenance facility Wilsonville

Available in other formats

WES Commuter Rail Tour Fact Sheet / July 2016