WES Commuter Rail - What Even Is It & What Are My Thoughts?

WES Commuter Rail - What Even Is It & What Are My Thoughts?

Hello! Welcome back to TriMet insider. Today we'll talk about the WES Commuter Rail which I just rode yesterday. I wanted to give my reviews, but first, I realized that a lot of people who live in Portland proper probably don't even know what the WES is, so first, I should explain. The WES is a Diesel powered train that connects the suburbs of Beaverton, Tualatin, Tigard, and Wilsonville. A picture included shows what it looks like.

It only has one track, so when it reaches the terminus, the operator has to move to the other end of the train and operate it in the opposite direction, I believe.

Now that we've covered what the train is, let's move into my review of it. I think that this is a wonderful train. It has free Wi-Fi, padded and reclining seats, wonderful staff - there was a mess on the floor that was cleaned up immediately. It's great! Another good thing about the train is the route. The route that it takes is along a wonderful scenic route with mountain views, awesome trees, and a leaf-covered pond that looks as if it could home an alligator.  My only complaints would maybe be the constant rumbling of the diesel engine, but I got used to that almost immediately, and the Wilsonville terminus' remoteness. It is practically out in the middle of nowhere, at least if you're walking. It terminates at a Transit Center with a Park-And-Ride, but the only bus services there are Cherriots (Salem) and SMART (Wilsonville). That would be frustrating for someone who needed to get into Salem or Wilsonville and took the WES, because you'd have to buy a TriMet ticket, and a Cherriots or SMART ticket, too. You would have to spend double the money.

Thanks for reading today's post! I'll be back with more TriMet Insider soon.





Photo Credits:

WES Exterior Photo: Wikipedia
Screen-shotted WES Free Wi-Fi Photo: Flickr
WES Seat Photo: Oregon Live

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