October 27, 2006
Washington County Commuter Rail breaks ground
Will become state's 1st commuter rail line
After 10 years of planning, the Washington County Commuter Rail Project held a groundbreaking celebration October 25. The 14.7-mile line will connect the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville and become Oregon's first commuter rail project when it opens in September 2008.
US Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, US Representatives Darlene Hooley and David Wu, Federal Transit Deputy Administrator Sandra Bushue, Washington County Commission Chair Tom Brian, Metro President David Bragdon, TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen and other officials arrived at the event on a 1920s vintage train supplied by Portland & Western Railroad.
Washington County Commuter Rail (WCCR) will carry commuters in the heavily traveled I-5/Hwy 217 corridor during morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. It will share tracks with Portland & Western freight trains.
"This region is known for finding the right solutions for our transportation challenges, and that's certainly the case with this commuter rail line," Senator Wyden said. "It's great news that we're finally moving dirt on this project after a lot of hard work by everyone who’s been involved over the years."
"The plan to create the first commuter rail line in Oregon has been around for a decade, and it speaks to the notion that good ideas remain viable, even after a long period of time,"Senator Gordon Smith said.
This rail corridor is not new to passenger service. WCCR will use a century-old existing railroad corridor that last saw passenger travel in 1933.
"Everyone benefits from sound transit projects like this one," said FTA Administrator James Simpson. "Commuters have more options, economic growth is stimulated and traffic congestion is reduced."
"The idea of commuter rail started among suburban leaders who wanted a cost-effective transportation option for the growing Eastern Washington County," Washington County Commission Chair Tom Brian said. "Given the development of the area, traveling by commuter rail will be 35-50 percent faster than driving a car between Beaverton and Wilsonville."
FTA Deputy Administrator Sandra Bushue represented the federal partnership that is helping to build another rail extension in this region, and one of just a handful of suburban-to-suburban commuter rail lines in the country.
"Commuter rail delivers efficient, high-quality transit service in an area where traditional transit options are difficult to provide," said TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen."This project culminates the leadership, vision and determination of all of our partners to make this project a reality."
About the Project
- 5 stations
- 4 park & ride lots at 4 of the stations with up to 800 parking spaces
- Connections: Transfer to Blue and Red MAX trains and 11 bus lines at Beaverton Transit Center; ride MAX directly to Hillsboro, downtown Portland or the Portland International Airport. Local bus service will connect to other 4 stations.
- Travel time: 27 minutes between Beaverton and Wilsonville; in 2020 auto travel time is expected to take 40 minutes
- Speed: Top train speed is 60 mph and averaging 37 mph
- Cost: $117.3 million, with 50814c6e4aid from federal funds
- Weekday ridership: between 3,000-4,000 trips estimated by 2020, with half of the riders new to transit
- Riders will travel in self-propelled trains, called diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcars. Colorado Railcar is producing the five cars (three single-powered cars and two trailer cars). Each car will seat up to 80 people.
Project Partners
- TriMet
- Washington County
- Metro
- Oregon Department of Transportation
- Cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville
- Federal Transit Administration