Commuter service between Beaverton and Wilsonville to start this fall

[Chief]

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1213932314307280.xml&coll=7

Static and running tests will be conducted on railcars in the next few months

Friday, June 20, 2008
JOHN FOYSTON
The Oregonian Staff

WILSONVILLE -- There is such a thing as that "new-train smell" and it's just as beguiling as the automotive equivalent, judging from the crowd that clambered through -- and under -- TriMet's just-arrived commuter railcars Thursday.

The new 85-ton Diesel Multiple Unit and its lookalike, but unpowered, trailer car arrived at TriMet's Wilsonville railcar maintenance facility early Thursday morning, and the welcoming crowd showed up shortly after.

"This is the Cadillac," said Vern Wise, gesturing at the DMU's spacious interior with its rows of high-backed, blue-upholstered seats.

**SCHNIPP**

This is the heavy rail commuter train that has been talked about for a year or so. It will use existing railroad tracks instead of the dedicated track light rail requires. These trains are self-propelled via diesel-electric motors.

It will be interesting to see what kind of use this gets, in particular between Beaverton and Wilsonville.

Developing...

[Waterbuffalo]

Does this mean someone needs tp do a youtube video of the ride?

[Chief]

Eventually...

I'm waiting for some dimwit to call for this train to be fueled exclusively with $6.50 a gallon "Bio-Diesel"...no doubt someone on Portland's Metro has already thought of just that...

cewl

[Waterbuffalo]

8-D

You didn 't miss the tesla coil power or water hydrogen batteries did you on these puppies?

[Chief]

These trains may be State of the Art WB, but they still run on diesel fuel.

[Waterbuffalo]

Yeah, to you and I this diesel is state of the art but to certain groups of head warmers any thing less than wind powered trains with Chinese made wind fans is just not kosher? < a joke.>

Yeah, I would love to get a chance one life settles down to see how fast it would take me to go from Vancouver to Wilsonville and Fry's electronics?

Wonder if it will be faster On I-5 or the Yellow Line max to beaverton with 30 minutes stop by stop layover in downtown Portland before I finally arrive in Beaverton to get on this train and on to Wilsonville or its end of the line.

Hopefully this will show if a train like this might be feasible on the Clark County choo choo line.

[Chief]

Not only are those tracks unsuitable for dedicated commuter service, there's not enough traffic between Battle Ground and Downtown Vancouver to warrant spending hundreds of millions of dollars on that idea either...

_wacko

[Waterbuffalo]

:-0 But what about the vertiable Battle Ground mouth pieces that will shrill, scream and shout just like our beloved mayor if they don't install such finery for these speed demon workers that work in Portland and want to get past the I-5 bottle neck along wth speeding down Highway 503-500 or to the Highway 179th Interchange?

Yeah, I think its nonsensical to buuild a dedicated highway between BG and Camas just because the Battle Ground mayor said so in his state of the City address..

[Waterbuffalo]

But alas, I do think there may be enough traffic off light rail from Beaverton to Wilsonville to warrant such a service since most buses from Clackamas/South Portland have been begging for years for higher speed transit.

[Chief]

Beaverton to Wilsonville is one thing, while Battle Ground to Vancouver is decidedly another...