Oregon Public Broadcasting

Dignitaries from the Portland area took the first rides along The Westside Express Service, or WES Friday.

It will open to regular commuters Monday and runs about 15 miles from Wilsonville through Tualatin and Tigard, and then up to Beaverton.

Opening the line, TriMet general manager Fred Hansen, said WES is the newest link in the area’s growing mass transit system.

Fred Hansen: “This is the first state’s first commuter rail project. I don’t think it’ll be it’s last.”

Tickets are the same as the Tri-Met All-Zone fare: $2.30.

The rail line has been used to move freight for decades, but it had to be upgraded to allow commuter trains to travel faster.