WES, at last

One-hundred and one years ago this month, the Oregon Electric Railway opened up between Salem and Portland. The OE offered itnerurban transit service to residents between the two cities, allowing people in rural areas the benefits of urban jobs and educations. More frequent commuter trains worked the line from Portland to Wilsonville, about a third of the way to Salem. More than any other development, the arrival of the Oregon Electric changed the Westside’s destiny forever, ushering in the suburban era. Without it, there wouldn’t even be a city of Tigard or Wilsonville today. (Although well patronized, growing automobile use, state subsidized roads, and the Great Depression all worked to kill the OE’s passenger service, which closed in 1933.)

Today, the Westside once again stands on the brink of a new era, and for much the same reason as it did in 1908: the train has arrived. Yesterday, officials from multiple cities, governments, and agencies met in Wilsonville to commemorate the opening of TriMet’s latest rail service expansion, the Westside Express Service, also known as “WES”. A multi-agency, public-private project, WES connects Wilsonville, Tualatin, Tigard and Beaverton to the MAX system by using self propelled heavy rail commuter cars (known as diesel multiple units, or “DMUs”) running over the tracks of the Portland and Western Railroad. Although commuter rail is common in larger metropolitan areas in the United States, WES is one of the few to use self-propelled cars, and perhaps the only route that connects outer-ring suburbs to each other rather than to the metropolitan core.

The project has had a rocky path to completion. This is TriMet’s first major public-private project, and coordination between the railroad, the contractors, and the agency did not always run smoothly. There were multiple teething problems with the state-of-the-art signaling system, and worst of all, the railcar supplier had massive financial difficulties that emerged mid-project, forcing TriMet to essentially take over the manufacturer to see the cars completed. Thus when the ceremonial “first run” car set arrived at Beaverton Transit Center yesterday afternoon, there was a collective sigh of relief from project proponents. Politicians swarmed like bees on the platform while TriMet staffers dashed back and forth trying to manage the crowd of invitees.

The “First Run” set arrives at BTC on January 21.

WES trains, unlike MAX, have conductors on board.

Aboard, the cars were very well done, with a nicer level of finish than the average MAX equipment. Seats recline, and each car has free WiFi. The feel of the ride is smooth, and while the cars don’t accelerate as fast as a MAX train, they do spool up to 60 miles per hour. Combined with the system’s limited stops, WES feels far faster than MAX, and in fact it is.

The interior of WES is well appointed and clean.

Once at Wilsonville, passengers were treated to a good old fashioned political soiree, complete with Oregon wines and live music. People ooed, ahed, rubbed elbows and shoulders, and all around basked in the glow of what had finally become a successful project. Despite the challenges the project had faced, the mood was not one of relief, but rather joy. There were smiles everywhere, and being that there was a large contingent of political personages, a lot of subdued credit seeking. Washington County Commission Chair Tom Brian — the so-called “Godfather of WES” — took the podium early on, noting that since “success has many fathers, [WES} will no doubt bring on the largest paternity suit in history”. And when Metro Council President David Bragdon took the podium, you could tell that the self-avowed “transit geek” was one step away from doing a celebratory transit-dance.

Tom Brian addresses the crowd while TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen looks on.

The excitable David Bragdon.

Other officials took turns addressing the crowd, including Kelly Taylor from ODOT’s rail division. Taylor was the strongest voice to expound on the primary subject of the cocktail conversations of the evening: where to next? According to Taylor, an extension of WES to Salem is beginning to be studied now, and looks to be likely as the soonest extension. Judging by the size of Wilsonville’s park and ride lot, I’d guess they are expecting to get a significant number of commuters driving up the valley as it is, and with a fast 27 minute dash to Beaverton, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Salem residents making use of the system as it is.

Other extensions mentioned during the evening included a possible cross-town connector between Milwaukie and Sherwood via Tualatin, and an extension to Forest Grove. Although the project had — in the words of Neil McFarlane, TriMet’s executive director of capital projects — “more headaches per mile than any other”, it was clear from the evening that the momentum to expand upon the system has reached critical mass. Taylor mentioned the need to examine the “lessons learned” and the desire to complete system expansions at a much quicker pace.

The ride back from Wilsonville was in the darkness, and gave a much better feel for how the system will be once it opens to revenue service on February 2nd. Getting off at the Tigard stop, I was struck with how different it feels from MAX. The cars are bigger, and more comfortable, and truly feel like rail travel rather than transit. Sure, the Westside still needs additional MAX service — an idea that Metro is studying now — but WES brings a more substantial presence to the table. It’s a different sensation to stand on the platform listening to the locomotive bells ring on the DMUs and depart rapidly into the darkness.

Members of the public wishing to explore WES will have an opportunity to enjoy a free ride on the system on the ceremonial opening day on January 30th. Fare on WES is a TriMet all-zone ticket at $2.30, and schedules both northbound and southbound are posted on TriMet’s website. Additionally, WES will be served with connections from Wilsonville’s SMART bus system, which will guarantee a ten minute or less trip from major employers to WES every weekday.

To everyone at TriMet and all the partner entities involved in the project, congratulations on completing a tough job.