Tualatin station

Tualatin is a train station in Tualatin, Oregon, United States, that is served by TriMet as part of its WES Commuter Rail line. It is situated next to Hedges Green Shopping Center on Southwest Boones Ferry Road near the city's downtown area. The commuter rail line, which opened in February 2009, links the westside Portland metropolitan area cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville. The station sits between Tigard Transit Center and Wilsonville station as the fourth of five southbound WES stops. WES connects with MAX Light Rail at Beaverton Transit Center.

Tualatin
WES Commuter Rail station
Tualatin station in 2015
Location	18955 SW Boones Ferry Road Tualatin, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates	45°23′00″N 122°45′52″W
Owned by	TriMet
Line(s)	Portland and Western Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	TriMet: 76, 97 Tualatin Shuttle
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	129 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Lockers and racks
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	February 2, 2009
Services
Preceding station   WES Commuter Rail   Following station Wilsonville Terminus Commuter Rail Tigard Transit Center toward Beaverton Transit Center

Local governments approved the station as part of the Washington County commuter rail project in 2004. Construction was expected to begin in July 2007 but was delayed after issues emerged with its location and the amount of available parking. A compromise was reached and construction began in January 2008. WES trains serve Tualatin station every thirty minutes on weekdays during the morning and evening rush hours. Connections include TriMet bus routes 76–Hall/Greenburg and 97–Tualatin–Sherwood Rd, and the Tualatin Shuttle. The station includes a 129-space park and ride lot.

History

Beginning in 1908, the Oregon Electric Railway (OE), which operated an interurban line between Portland and Salem, served the community of Tualatin. At its peak, the line extended south as far as Eugene.[1] The OE line's Tualatin depot is believed to have stood on the site of the present-day WES station.[2] As automobile use increased in the 1920s, passenger volume on the line failed to grow as projected. This resulted in OE ending passenger rail service in May 1933. Diesel freight service continued to run along the route into the 1990s.[1][3]

Led by Washington County officials, planning for a commuter rail line between Beaverton and Wilsonville began in 1996.[3] Local governments authorized the project in 2001. After several years of delays owing to a lack of funding, the Federal Transit Administration approved the line's construction in 2004.[4] Plans for a station in the city of Tualatin were finalized as early as 2001, when a site along Boones Ferry Road was selected in consideration of the city's transportation plan.[5] Construction of the rail line began in October 2006.[6]

In 2006, Haggen Food & Pharmacy, a grocery store situated next to the station's proposed location, embarked on efforts to have it moved. They contended the station did not have enough parking—original plans included 111 parking spaces—and increased traffic would worsen congestion around the area.[7][8] Haggen's arguments led to a delay in the station's construction, which had been scheduled to begin in July 2007.[7][9] The city and TriMet countered that the location had been selected in 2001 and re-affirmed in 2005 with no objections from Haggen. TriMet later threatened to forgo having a station in the city.[5]

In August 2007, the two sides compromised. The station's location remained as planned but additional parking was added.[5][10] On January 9, 2008, the station's construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by local dignitaries.[11] The public artwork was installed in September 2008.[12] Tualatin station was completed in time for the line's opening on February 2, 2009.[13][14]

Station details

Platform level
	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Northbound	→ WES toward Beaverton Transit Center (Tigard Transit Center) →
	Southbound	← WES toward Wilsonville (Terminus)

Tualatin station is situated on the east end of Hedges Green Shopping Center near the intersection of Southwest Boones Ferry Road and Southwest Seneca Street in downtown Tualatin.[15][16] It is one of five WES stops along the 14.7-mile (23.7 km) rail line owned by Portland and Western Railroad.[17] The station has 129 park and ride spaces, 24 covered bike rack spots, and six bike lockers.[18]

The station's shelter exhibits enhancements to TriMet's standard design practices; it includes a clock tower and red brick columns that are intended to blend the platform in with the neighborhood's existing architectural styles.[10] The Tualatin Development Commission contributed $491,000 for its construction.[15] The platform measures 146 feet (45 m) in length and 15 feet (4.6 m) in width, covers about 2,000 square feet (190 m²), and sits four feet above the ground.[2] The station features card-only ticket vending machines and a digital information display showing WES and bus arrival information.[18]

Tualatin station's public art consists of an interactive sculpture created by Frank Boyden and Brad Rude. Entitled The Interactivator, it features bronze heads and a vehicle designed to represent the train and the variety of people who ride the line. The vehicle moves along a track and has an animal figure displayed in a scene atop the piece.[19]^:28 Additionally, glass in the windbreak is etched with a willow pattern.[20]

Services

Tualatin station is the second of five northbound stops on the WES Commuter Rail line after Wilsonville station and before Tigard Transit Center. The line runs between the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville and offers a connection to the Blue and Red lines of MAX Light Rail at Beaverton Transit Center.[21] WES operates only on weekdays during the morning and evening commutes and trains arrive at the station every thirty minutes per direction.[22][23] The station is also near a bus stop for TriMet's 76–Hall/Greenburg and 97–Tualatin–Sherwood Rd routes.[18] Additionally, the city of Tualatin provides the Tualatin Shuttle, a free shuttle bus service operated by Ride Connection, to connect riders between Tualatin station and local employers. The service, which operates two routes in the north and south areas surrounding Southwest Tualatin–Sherwood Road, coordinates with WES train arrivals and is free for use by the public.[24][25]

References

1. Thompson, Richard (January 1, 2008). Willamette Valley Railways. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0738556017.
2. "Proposed Tualatin Commuter Rail Station and Park & Ride" (PDF). City of Tualatin. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
3. "WES Commuter Rail" (PDF). TriMet. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
4. "Wilsonville-to-Beaverton commuter train gets OK". Portland Business Journal. May 10, 2004. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
5. Bella, Rick (September 26, 2007). "Tualatin rail stop overrides differences". The Oregonian. p. C1.
6. "TriMet building passenger train line". Portland Business Journal. October 23, 2006. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
7. Tran, My-Thuan (March 20, 2007). "Tualatin station short on parking, firm reports". The Oregonian. p. B3.
8. Tran, My-Thuan (June 14, 2007). "TriMet, Haggen to meet on moving Tualatin station". The Oregonian. p. D3.
9. Tran, My-Thuan (April 10, 2007). "West side onboard for risky rail ride". The Oregonian. p. B1.
10. Foyston, John (August 3, 2007). "Businesses OK site for rail station in Tualatin". The Oregonian. p. D3.
11. Foyston, John; Mayes, Steve (January 8, 2008). "Construction will start on commuter station". The Oregonian. p. C3.
12. Foyston, John (September 4, 2008). "Ambitious crews install 5 steel sculptures in a day". The Oregonian.
13. Rivera, Dylan (October 1, 2008). "TriMet delays opening of Westside commuter rail line until February". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
14. Crepeau, Megan (February 3, 2009). "Westside commuter rail launch smooth". The Oregonian. p. B2. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
15. Clampet, Jennifer (January 10, 2008). "Even six months late, WES to arrive on time in Tualatin". The Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
16. "Stop ID 13069 – Tualatin WES Station". TriMet. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
17. Tucker, Libby (May 3, 2007). "Commuter rail project breaks ground in Wilsonville". Daily Journal of Commerce.
18. "WES Commuter Rail". TriMet. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
19. Priester, Mary (2009). The Interactivators: Sculpture for TriMet WES Commuter Rail (PDF). TriMet. ISBN 978-0-9666762-1-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
20. "Public Art on Commuter Rail". TriMet. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
21. WES Commuter Rail (PDF) (Map). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
22. "WES Commuter Rail, Weekday To Beaverton" (PDF). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
23. "WES Commuter Rail, Weekday to Wilsonville" (PDF). TriMet. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
24. "Ride Connection". City of Tualatin. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
25. "Tualatin Shuttle Brochure" (PDF). Ride Connection. July 11, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

External links

• "Station information". TriMet.