Give WES a chance before cutting back service

  • Published: 3/10/2010 11:09:13 AM
Photo By: Patrick JohnsonWES on schedule
WES trains arriving and departing from Wilsonville will be on schedule for Thursday, Feb. 18.
The proposal to cut back on WES service reminds us of a new TV show that’s never really given a chance. You’ve probably experienced it. The show premieres, skips a few weeks, gets moved around on the schedule before finally its cancelled due to lack of viewership.

That’s how we’re feeling about the Westside Express Service.

The year-old commuter train hasn’t met ridership expectations, has had huge cost overruns resulting in a $162 million price tag and continues to be the target of those who like to take shots at TriMet. Yes, there are problems with WES.

But we feel the critics also need to take a look at what WES has done, before just moving it to an unfriendly schedule.

We examined the recent survey data released by TriMet and found that 59 percent of the people riding WES heading to Wilsonville used to take their cars.

Those are cars that are now off the road, freeing up capacity not only on Interstate 5, but on Wilsonville’s clogged interchanges. The survey found that 90 percent of the people who ride WES use it frequently.

To us, that’s an astonishing statistic. Those who take WES used to drive their cars, but once they took the train, they were hooked. That’s good news.

It’s hard not to overlook the $20 per rider price tag. But rather than viewing at it like a TV show doomed to fail, we think WES should be hyped up first.

The more riders WES converts, the lower that price tag will go. Instead of throwing away $162 million, we propose working together to get more people to find, and use, the commuter train.

Mary Fetsch, a TriMet spokeswoman, said this week that frequency was the number one thing that attracted new riders. She said that bus routes that have 10 minute waits between buses are much more popular than routes where there is an hour between stops.

One of the problems just may be visibility. With WES being at 30 minute service, it’s no wonder the service hasn’t taken off. Take into the consideration that you cannot see WES from I-5 and only for a short period from Highway 217 and you start to wonder how many people even know about the train.
TriMet’s latest proposal won’t help. They want to increase the wait between trains to 45 minutes.

Before TriMet cuts service to WES they should consider that this new train hasn’t had a chance to perform. It if had, we’re certain it will alleviate at least some of the traffic nightmare on Highways 217 and I-5 during rush hour.

Ironically, Metro listed WES as one of the top high capacity transit projects in the region for the next 20 years. TriMet and the region should be looking for ways to increase WES service, not cut it.

Right now, if you take the 1,200 riders a day who use WES and divide that figure by the 32 trains that run in the morning and afternoon, you get about 37 riders per WES train. We feel that number would rise drastically if there was a targeted marketing campaign and more frequent trains.

WES opened during a time of deep economic uncertainty.

Unemployment is in double digits and ridership for all transit systems is down. You can’t take this first year, with limited marketing and an economic downtown and claim that WES is a boondoggle. Let’s keep it on the existing schedule.

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