WeGo Star

{{Short description|Commuter rail service between Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee}}

{{For|the American Basketball Association team|Music City Stars}}

{{Infobox public transit

| name = WeGo Star

| image = MCSLineup01 jpg 79417.jpg

| imagesize = 300px

| caption = Three ex-Amtrak EMD F40PH locomotives in use by the WeGo Star lined up within the Lebanon, Tennessee yards. The third F40PH on the far right is painted in its original Pacific Surfliner scheme; all three locomotives have since been repainted.

| locale = Nashville Metropolitan Area

| predecessor = Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway

| transit_type = Commuter rail

| began_operation = {{start date|2006|09|18}}

| system_length = {{cvt|32|mi}}

| lines =

| stations = 7

| vehicles = 4 locomotives
11 coaches

| train_length = 2-3 gallery cars

| headway =

| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|TN Nashville RTA CR annual}} ({{American transit ridership|annualdate}}){{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}

| website = {{URL|wegotransit.com}}

| track_gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}

| average_speed = {{cvt|37|mph}}

| top_speed = {{cvt|79|mph}}

| owner = Tennessee Department of Transportation

| marks = NRTX

| operator = Tennessee Regional Transportation Authority

| map = {{switcher

| {{maplink-road|from=WeGo Star.map}} WeGo Star highlighted in purple

| Show interactive map

| {{WeGo Star|inline=yes}}

| Show route diagram

}}

The WeGo Star {{reporting mark|NRTX}}, formerly the Music City Star, is a commuter rail service running between Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee. The service uses the existing track of the Nashville and Eastern Railroad. The line stops at seven stations: Riverfront (Nashville), Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Martha, Hamilton Springs and Lebanon. The operation covers {{convert|32|mi}} of rail line. Service began on September 18, 2006.{{cite news |url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2006/08/a-star-is-born-nashville-commuter-trains-to-begin-sept-18 |title=A Star is born: Nashville commuter trains to begin Sept. 18 |work=Trains |date=August 31, 2006 |access-date=August 6, 2010}} In {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, the line had a ridership of {{American transit ridership|TN Nashville RTA CR annual}}.{{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}

The Star is considered a "starter" project to demonstrate the effectiveness of commuter rail service to the metro Nashville area. Expansion plans include as many as six more lines, terminating in Gallatin, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Dickson, Springfield, and Clarksville via Ashland City. All are planned to use existing CSX Transportation railroad lines. The planned seven lines meet in central Nashville in a star formation, hence the original name of the system, which also alludes to the city's many country music stars.

The Star is the first passenger train service of any kind for Nashville since the discontinuation of Amtrak's Floridian in 1979. The Nashville and Eastern line, part of the former Tennessee Central Railway, had not seen passenger service for many decades prior to the Star, with the exception of excursion trains operated by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and the Broadway Dinner Train.

History

The train began operations on September 18, 2006, becoming the 18th commuter rail system in the United States, with a projected daily ridership of 1,500 passengers. The service launched with an estimated annual cost of $3.3 million, of which $1.3 million was covered by revenues.{{cite news |url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2006/10/music-city-star-fails-to-meet-ridership-goals |title=Music City Star fails to meet ridership goals |work=Trains |date=October 27, 2006}}

In the first month after service began, ridership failed to reach the projected goals, a situation which continued for several years, culminating with a financial shortfall of $1.7 million by the summer of 2008, of which the state of Tennessee covered $1 million in a bailout of the service.{{cite news |url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2008/07/tennessee-offers-to-bail-out-music-city-star |title=Tennessee offers to bail out Music City Star |work=Trains |date=July 17, 2008}} Financial difficulties continued into the next year; in June 2009, the service was nearly shut down for lack of funds until state and local authorities granted the service $4.4 million to continue service until 2011.{{cite news |url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2009/06/music-city-star-gets-two-more-years-of-funding |title=Music City Star gets two more years of funding |work=Trains |date=June 22, 2009}}

During 2010, a third passenger car was added to all WeGo Star trains to accommodate increasing ridership.{{cite web |url=http://www.rtarelaxandride.com/PDF_News/n51.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019000118/http://www.rtarelaxandride.com/PDF_News/n51.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |title=Music City Star ridership continues to climb |publisher=Regional Transportation Authority |date=October 12, 2010 |access-date=October 19, 2010}}

On May 2, 2010, the East Corridor line was closed because of damage related to the floods that hit Middle Tennessee. Flood waters pushed tracks off a concrete trestle over Sinking Creek in downtown Lebanon. This trapped Star trains at their Lebanon storage yard, causing RTA to suspend service until the trestle was repaired. MTA substituted chartered buses instead, picking up passengers at all stations except Martha.{{cite web |url=http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=12413202 |title=Bus, Train Service Suspended |website=NewsChannel5.com |date=May 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506055744/http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=12413202 |archive-date=May 6, 2010}} The line was repaired in one week.

Following the Nashville MTA rebranding to WeGo Public Transit, the Music City Star was renamed the WeGo Star.{{cite news |title=Nashville MTA now WeGo Public Transit after rebrand |url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/10032517/nashville-mta-now-wego-public-transit-after-rebrand |access-date=July 24, 2024 |work=www.metro-magazine.com |date=July 13, 2018}}

The COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee in 2020 briefly resulted in the shutdown of Star rail service, but service resumed on June 15, 2020, with eight trains each weekday — two each way in the morning and two more in the afternoon.{{cite web|title=COVID-19 Modified Service Plan|publisher=RTA|url=https://www.rtarelaxandride.com/pdf/fn1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902152320/http://www.rtarelaxandride.com/pdf/fn1.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 2, 2017|date=14 June 2020}}

A proposed expansion of the system to Clarksville and Ashland City utilizing the Nashville and Western Railroad right of way is projected to cost $525 million.{{cite news |last=Gonzalez |first=Tony |date=May 10, 2016 |title=Middle Tennessee's Best Hope For New Commuter Rail Is Taking Shape; Here's What It Looks Like |url=http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/middle-tennessee-s-best-hope-new-commuter-rail-taking-shape-here-s-what-it-looks#stream/0 |publisher=Nashville Public Radio |access-date=April 14, 2018}}

Operation

Currently there is only one line, with six more planned to other satellite cities around Nashville.

= East Corridor line =

The current line is {{convert|32|mi|km}} long with seven stations. There are six round trips, although two of them only go as far as Mt. Juliet. The line is mostly single-track, so this limits arrivals and departures to how long each train has to wait for the other to pass. The first "starter line" cost $41 million, or just under $1.3 million per mile, which made it the most cost-efficient commuter rail start-up in the nation.{{cite book |last=Latham |first=Garl B. |url=http://oklahoma.sierraclub.org/redearth/TrainStudy.pdf |title=Rail Transit: An Oklahoma Economic Opportunity |publisher=OnTrac |year=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628035914/http://oklahoma.sierraclub.org/redearth/TrainStudy.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2010}} The line was previously run by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis until 1930. It reopened 76 years later.

== Stations ==

File:Riverfront train station.jpg in downtown Nashville]]

Rolling stock

= Current locomotives =

Models	Built	Number	Road Numbers
class="wikitable"
F40PH-2	1980-1985	3	120–122
F40PHR	1981	1	381

= Coaches =

class="wikitable"
Numbers ! Type ! Heritage ! Built !Quantity ! Builder ! Disposition
400-402 500-504 \| Coach/Cab Coach \| Chicago and North Western \| 1968 1961 \|8 \| Pullman \| 401 and 504 operating as backup set, remainder retired in 2020. 402 retained for fire department training. Still painted in Music City Star colors.
790 and 795 701, 708, 712, 719, 723, 733 \| Coach/Cab Coach \| Burlington Route \| 1965 1950-65 \| 8 \| Budd \| Acquired 2020 from MiTrain. Painted in WeGo Public Transit colors.

class="wikitable"

Numbers

! Type

! Heritage

! Built

!Quantity

! Builder

! Disposition

400-402
500-504

| Coach/Cab
Coach

| Chicago and North Western

| 1968
1961

| Pullman

| 401 and 504 operating as backup set, remainder retired in 2020. 402 retained for fire department training. Still painted in Music City Star colors.

790 and 795
701, 708, 712, 719, 723, 733

| Coach/Cab

Coach

| Burlington Route

| 1965

1950-65

| 8

| Budd

| Acquired 2020 from MiTrain. Painted in WeGo Public Transit colors.

The WeGo Star regional rail service is currently served by four rebuilt ex-Amtrak EMD F40PH locomotives and eight former Chicago Metra coaches, standard gauge. The coaches are bilevel rail cars with seating on both levels.

Since 2022, all four F40PH locomotives have been rebuilt and repainted into the new WeGo paint scheme. 381 previously wore Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner paint scheme until late 2020. The former Pullman-Standard coaches were withdrawn from service around 2020 and were replaced with corrugated stainless steel Budd bi-level coaches,{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/wilson/2020/07/02/music-city-star-upgrades-unveiled-wilson-and-east-davidson-county-riders/3282039001/|title=Music City Star upgrades closer for Wilson and East Davidson county train service|first=Andy|last=Humbles|website=The Tennessean}} although the older coaches are still used on occasion.

File:Musiccitystarcar.jpg|An original multi-level passenger car as used by the WeGo Star

File:Mcsmain.jpg|The interior view inside an original WeGo Star passenger coach

File:Riverfront Station platform.jpg|An original operating cab car end of a WeGo Star train at Riverfront station

Ridership

WeGo Star ridership steadily increased from 104,785 passenger trips in 2007 to 277,148 trips in 2012.{{Cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2014/05/02/the-little-engine-that-hasn-t-thinking-it-can-hasn.html |title=The little engine that hasn't: Thinking it can hasn't been enough for Music City Star |work=Nashville Business Journal |last=Harrison |first=Scott |date=May 2, 2014 |access-date=August 21, 2015}} In 2013, ridership decreased to 253,421 trips, but then steadily increased to 298,800 passenger trips in 2018.{{cite web |title=Public Transportation Ridership Report |url=https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018-Q4-Ridership-APTA.pdf |publisher=American Public Transportation Association |access-date=August 25, 2019 |date=April 12, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/transit-statistics/ridership-report/|title=Ridership Report}} In 2019 ridership slightly decreased to 292,500 passenger trips. During the 2020 pandemic, ridership plummeted to 77,200 with a majority of the rides being in the first quarter of the year, it fell further in 2021 to 57,500 although the 4th quarter saw immense improvement compared to the 4th quarter of 2020. 2022 saw a rebound in ridership, although not even half of pre-pandemic levels.{{Cite web|url=https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021-Q4-Ridership-APTA.pdf/|title=Ridership Report}}

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar-chart

| width=540

| height=250

| x legends=: 2008 :: 2010 :: 2012 :: 2014 :: 2016 :: 2018 :: 2020 :: 2022 :: 2024

| group 1=104785 : 166873 : 181434 : 202695 : 250656 : 277148 : 253421 : 258994 : 274295 : 280900 : 287800 : 298800 : 292500 : 77200 : 57500 : 92100 : 108000 : 125900

| group names=Trips

}}