Tualatin station

Tualatin is a train station in Tualatin, Oregon, United States, served by TriMet as part of WES Commuter Rail. Situated next to Hedges Green Shopping Center on Southwest Boones Ferry Road, it is the fourth station southbound on the commuter rail line, which operates between Beaverton and Wilsonville in the Portland metropolitan area's Washington County. The station was approved in 2004 as part of the Washington County Commuter Rail Project, but construction was delayed following a dispute with its location and the amount of available parking. A compromise was eventually reached, and it was completed in time for the line's opening in 2009. The station includes a 129-space park and ride and connections to the Tualatin Shuttle and TriMet bus routes 76–Hall/Greenburg and 97–Tualatin–Sherwood Rd. WES connects with the Blue and Red lines of MAX Light Rail at Beaverton Transit Center.

Tualatin
WES Commuter Rail station
Tualatin station in 2015
General information
Location18955 SW Boones Ferry Road
Tualatin, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°23′00″N 122°45′52″W
Owned byTriMet
Line(s)Portland and Western Railroad
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsTriMet bus, Tualatin Shuttle
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking129 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesLockers and racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedFebruary 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)
Services
Preceding station TriMet Following station
Wilsonville Transit Center
Terminus
 WES Commuter Rail Tigard Transit Center
towards Beaverton Transit Center
Location

History

In 1908, the Oregon Electric Railway (OE) established an interurban line between Portland and Salem, which at its peak extended as far south as Eugene.[1] OE built a depot in Tualatin that is believed to have stood on the site of the present-day WES station.[2] When automobiles began to dominate in the 1920s, ridership on the interurban failed to grow as projected, and OE ended passenger rail service in May 1933. Diesel freight trains continued to utilize the route into the 1990s.[1][3] Washington County officials started planning for a commuter rail line between Beaverton and Wilsonville in 1996.[3] In 2001, local governments approved the Washington County Commuter Rail Project,[4] which included plans for a station in Tualatin along Boones Ferry Road, in consideration of the city's transportation plan.[5] The Federal Transit Administration authorized funding for the project in 2004,[4] and construction began in October 2006.[6]

After construction of the line had started, nearby grocery retailer Haggen Food & Pharmacy tried to have the station in Tualatin moved; Haggen argued that the station did not have enough parking and that it would worsen traffic around the area.[7][8] Haggen's protest led to a delay in the station's construction, which had been scheduled to begin in July 2007.[7][9] The city and Portland's regional transit agency, TriMet, countered that the location was selected in 2001 and was re-affirmed in 2005 with no objections from Haggen; TriMet further threatened to forgo building the station.[5] In August, Haggen and TriMet compromised; the station's location remained as planned but with additional parking.[5][10] The station's construction commenced on January 9, 2008, with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by local dignitaries.[11] The public artwork was installed that September.[12] Tualatin station was completed in time for the opening of the line, by then named "Westside Express Service" (WES), on February 2, 2009.[13][14]

Station details
Park and ride
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 Seneca Street in downtown Tualatin.[15][16] It is one of five WES stops along the 14.7-mile (23.7 km) rail segment owned by Portland and Western Railroad.[17] The station has 129 park-and-ride spaces, 24 covered bike racks, and six bike lockers.[18] The side 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 (1.2 m) above the ground.[2] It features card-only ticket vending machines and a digital information display that shows WES and bus arrival information.[18] The platform shelter exhibits enhancements to TriMet's standard design practices; it includes a clock tower and red brick columns intended to blend in with the neighborhood's existing architectural styles.[10] The Tualatin Development Commission contributed $491,000 for the enhancements.[15]

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  The shelter's glass windbreak is etched with a willow pattern.[20]

Services

Tualatin is the fourth of five stations southbound on WES, between Tigard Transit Center and the line's southern terminus, Wilsonville station. WES provides a connection to the Blue and Red lines of MAX Light Rail at its northern terminus, Beaverton Transit Center.[21] Service operates only on weekdays during the morning and evening commutes and trains arrive at the station every thirty minutes per direction.[22][23] A bus stop near Tualatin station connects to TriMet bus routes 76–Hall/Greenburg and 97–Tualatin–Sherwood Rd.[18] Additionally, a fixed-route bus service operated by Ride Connection called the Tualatin Shuttle connects riders between Tualatin station and local employers. As of 2019, the Tualatin Shuttle operates two routes within Tualatin; it coordinates with WES train arrivals and is free to use.[24][25]

Images of Tualatin station
  • A southbound WES train pulling into the station
    A southbound WES train pulling into the station
  • The Tualatin Interactivator
    The Tualatin Interactivator

References
  1. Thompson, Richard (January 1, 2008). Willamette Valley Railways. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0738556017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  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 (Tigard). 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.
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