NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — If you spend any time in Nashville, you’ll know auto traffic can be a problem during rush hour. However, some Middle Tennessee residents skip commuting via car in favor of the WeGo Star.
The commuter train has been in service since 2006 and can take you all the way from Wilson County into the heart of downtown Nashville; WeGo Star has seven stops across 32 miles. See below for a full map provided by WeGo Public Transit:
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For more than a decade, Sabrina Hooper has boarded the WeGo Star train to get to work each morning, bypassing lines of cars on the interstate.
“I take the Hermitage train station and it’s about two miles from my house, so, I go there and then I get on the train. It takes me downtown to First Street,” Hooper told News 2. “It’s great. The train takes me out of the congestion of the traffic. Even when I bought my house, I made sure that it was still on the line of the train so that I could come in.”
Not only is the ride swift and congestion-free, the roughly half-hour commute from Hermitage into the city provides a space for productivity in the train’s quiet cars.
“You can’t have loud conversations…it gives you a time to get ready for the day,” Hooper said.
By the end of 2019, Donelson saw just under 23,000 riders; Hermitage saw nearly 48,000. After a drop in ridership thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership last year started to increase.
WeGo officials said ridership is looking up.
“Really what we’re trying to do is get people into work because it’s primarily a commuter train right now. Three trips in the morning and three trips in the afternoon,” said Eric Melcher, public information officer for WeGo. “It’s been tremendous growth in Donelson that we’ve noticed; retail and housing development, and also civic development like the new library, [have helped.]”
WeGo surveyed train riders two years ago to look for opportunities for improvement to the rail system. In the meantime, riders like Hooper tells News 2 WeGo star is already a positive that makes work and life just a little bit easier.
“I think it’s just helpful all around — my quality of life has gone up and I just feel better being able to get on the train and come in,” Hooper said.
WeGo officials added they’re in the process of refurbishing another passenger rail car, which they expect to be in service this year.
“It’s kind of neat that it’s all centered around the WeGo Star station in Donelson. It’s really being perceived as kind of a hub — and that’s not by accident,” Melcher added. “People realize that people want to live and get to things easier with public transit.”
