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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: WES Commuter Rail Should be Shut Down, Not Expanded
Description: On March 11 the Joint Transportation Committee of the Oregon Legislature took testimony on HB 3453, which would create a new transit authority with a mission to take over TriMet’s Westside Express Service (WES) commuter line and expand it to Eugene.While I share the enthusiasm of the bill’s sponsors for passenger rail, the history of WES shows that a market for commuter rail does not exist.WES was originally projected to cost $65 million and open in 2000. It actually cost $161.2 million and opened in 2009. TriMet predicted that opening-year ridership would average 2,500 average daily boardings. Actual ride...