Politicians push for (empty) train to Salem

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

This year, lawmakers tried to pass funding for a study on a Wilsonville-to-Salem commuter train.  Apparently the small Wilsonville needs its second own train — maybe the 25 other Oregon cities of the same size or larger need their own trains too.

One person who already makes that commute, wrote to us explaining that current transit service is nearly empty by her own witness.

“Why do we need the Wilsonville to Salem commuter rail? We don’t! There is something called the 1X Wilsonville/Salem Express, and I have been using this public transportation for years. The Cherriots Route 1X and Smart 1X is an express bus service that connects Wilsonville and Salem. It works great and provides multiple trips per day. One would think that during the 2024 Legislative Session, the bus would have be filled with commuters. The maximum number I ever counted on my bus was only 10 riders. There were a few times when there was only two people on this express bus. So why is there a need for a commuter train?”

Already politicians spent tens of millions of tax dollars building the Beaverton-to0Wilsonville train.  By one count from Cascade Policy Institute, the train only served a little 800 unique people a day.

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