Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles (2018)

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79 The Westside Express Service (WES) is a commuter rail line sponsored by the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), a public agency that operates mass transit in the Portland metropolitan area. In addition to WES commuter rail, TriMet operates MAX light rail, buses, and paratransit. WES trains run every half hour during weekday peak commuting hours on tracks shared with the Portland and Western Railroad (P&W), which is a short- line freight railroad. WES serves fi ve stations connecting the suburban cities Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville in the Portland metropolitan area along Oregon Highway 217 and Interstate 5. WES provides connections to MAX light rail at the Beaverton Transit Center. WES also connects to the services of other regional transit agencies at WES stations, including Cherriots, South Metro Area Regional Transit, Canby Area Transit, and Yamhill County Transit Area. WES operates with a fl eet of four new diesel multiple units (DMUs) and two remanufactured rail diesel cars as backup equipment. Most DMU trains consist of two cars, although some run as a single car. DMU trains do not require a separate locomotive since the cars are self-propelled. TriMet is the public transit authority in the Portland region, governed by a seven-member board of directors. The governor of Oregon appoints each board member, who represents the public interests of a geographical district. GOVERNANCE WES Westside Express Service Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon Wilsonville–Beaverton, OR HISTORY OE fi nished construction of an interurban electric railroad between Beaverton and Wilsonville. Southern Pacifi c Railway began to operate the Red Electric passenger trains between Beaverton and Wilsonville. The Red Electric service ended. 1908 1918 1929 1933 1996 2002 2004 2006 2009 2008 2007 The Oregon Electric Railway (OE) terminated passenger service. A group of community leaders, including the mayors of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville, and representatives of Washington County, Metro, TriMet, and Oregon DOT, launched a feasibility study for commuter rail service along the north–south rail corridor. WES became the offi cial name of the commuter rail. WES received new, custom purpose-built DMU railcars from the manufacturer. TriMet opened WES service. TriMet took over as the project’s lead planning agency. FTA gave the project Full Funding Grant Agreement approval. The fi rst phase of construction began.

80 Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles PERFORMANCE STATISTICS Past Trends 2012–2016 Service Data in RY* 2016 Data source: NTD *Report year: for each report year, NTD collects data refl ecting the reporter’s operation in the same fi scal year. Annual Operating Cost: $7,898,519 Total Directional Route Miles: 29 Passenger Car Revenue Miles: 163,721 Unlinked Passenger Trips: 457,374 Annual Total Passenger Miles: 3,884,138 Operating Cost per Passenger Car Revenue Mile Operating Cost per Passenger Passenger Trips per Passenger Car Revenue Mile Passenger Miles per Passenger Trip $48.24 $41.11$41.70$43.41$39.70 20162015201420132012 $17.27 $13.99$13.30 $15.92$15.51 20162015201420132012 2.792.94 3.14 2.732.56 20162015201420132012 8.498.378.418.048.20 20162015201420132012 TriMet provides necessary oversight for the prime contractor P&W. TriMet provides required reports to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and also limited reports to FRA for incidents relating to TriMet mechanics at the WES maintenance facility. P&W meets FRA and Oregon Department of Transportation (Oregon DOT) safety and other reporting requirements, with appropriate support from TriMet. P&W primarily handles resiliency planning and service recovery. TriMet contributes to develop strategies and provide public information. During rail service disruption, TriMet provides buses for potential alternate transportation if required. TriMet is responsible for planning and identifying funds for capital projects for the betterment of WES. Capital projects are always delivered in cooperation with P&W. For example, P&W performed track upgrades to maintain Class 3 status for 60-mph passenger operations. The work was performed during non-passenger service hours so that the construction would not interrupt the WES schedule. TriMet is responsible for submitting data and completing reports to the National Transit Database (NTD). P&W provides necessary supporting data to TriMet for NTD reporting. P&W (as host) and TriMet (as tenant) operate WES under a shared-use agreement. The shared-use agreement runs for 50 years. TriMet owns and maintains the rail equipment with agency employees. TriMet contracts with P&W to operate the trains and maintain the tracks for passenger service. P&W dispatches WES trains and prioritizes passenger trains over freight trains on the P&W tracks. TriMet and P&W entered into an initial operations and maintenance (O&M) contract in 2007 for 10 years with renewal options in 5-year increments. The O&M contract includes a trackage rights agreement. TriMet leased property at the outer terminus of the WES line in Wilsonville from P&W and built a dedicated maintenance of equipment (MOE) facility. TriMet recruited skilled workers from its own existing labor pool of mechanical staff for light rail and bus and trained them to meet the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)–mandated qualifi ed mechanical person certifi cation. CONTRACTED SERVICE General Contracted Service Informa on Oversight and Responsibili es

WES 81 Notes for Matrix: 1. TriMet installed and will maintain PTC equipment on rolling stock; P&W installed and will maintain PTC equipment for right-of-way and wayside communications and signaling. 2. TriMet provides materials management and environmental services for rolling stock and the MOE shop; P&W provides all other materials management and environmental services. 3. TriMet performs revenue collection from cashless ticketing machines; P&W conductors physically check tickets. 4. TriMet provides information technology (IT) for the MOE function as well as temperature and voltage monitoring, platform displays, and automatic train control systems communication; P&W provides IT for dispatching center and offi ce functions. 5. P&W performs the majority of supplemental work at actual cost. If mutually agreed, P&W may ask TriMet to bring in other third-party contractors. A—Agency; B—Host Railroad (RR); C—Amtrak; D—Independent Contractors (RR or Non-RR) Contracted Service Matrix The matrix below illustrates the responsibility for major service functions for WES. The capital letters A, B, and D represent the TriMet in-house staff (WES), the host railroad (P&W), and the independent contractors (for supplemental work), respectively. In this case, C for Amtrak is not applicable. A B C D Train Operations Maintenance of Infrastructure Maintenance of Equipment Specifi cally: Train Dispatching Services Train Operations Maintenance of Equipment Facilities Maintenance Maintenance of Way Provision of Electric Traction (na) Signals and Communication Positive Train Control (PTC) Maintenance (1) Station Operations and Maintenance Non-revenue Equipment Provision Safety Management Security Services Environmental Services (2) Management/Oversight Services Materials Management Services (2) Risk Management Assessment Customer Service Functions Marketing Communications Ticketing/Sales Revenue Collection (3) Information Technology Systems (4) Accident/Fatality Investigations/Support Supplemental Work (5) Other (na)