WeGo Public Transit undertook a strategic planning effort to develop a long-term strategy for future investments and service scenarios for the WeGo Star, a commuter rail service which began operating in 2006.
Currently, the Star provides morning and evening commuter service to and from Lebanon and downtown Nashville. In addition, the Star offers special event trains to home Titans games and popular downtown events such as New Year’s Eve and July 4th celebrations. All service currently operates between high-demand freight times through a cooperative agreement with RJ Corman and the Nashville and Eastern Railroad Authority.
The strategic planning effort, called the WeGo Star Study, was launched in 2023 and intended to identify changing ridership needs, impacts of current and projected population growth in the region, commuter and employment patterns, and pandemic related impacts on Star ridership. Outreach included a series of community meetings, a survey and meetings with key stakeholders, including civic leaders in Wilson and Davidson counties.
The plan was presented to the corridor mayors and the RTA Board for feedback. The outlined strategies in the plan require further discussion with RTA partners along the Star line to identify future funding for improvements.
WeGo and the study team have also engaged in on-going discussions with the freight operator to determine how any potential service changes might impact their operations and whether these can be accommodated under the current agreement.
WeGo Star Study Executive Summary →
WeGo Star Full Summary →