These proposed routes include:

Beaverton-Wilsonville: This route would use the former SP Tillamook Branch, now operated by the Portland & Western, from Beaverton to Tigard, then the former Burlington Northern (Oregon Electric), now-P&W line to Wilsonville. Intermediate stops would include Progress (Washington Square), Tigard and Tualatin. This route would help reduce congestion on adjacent Ore. Hwy. 217 and Interstate 5.

Tri-Met and the Oregon Department of Transportation sponsored a demonstration service on this route Sep. 12-13, 1998 in conjunction with the opening of Tri-Met's MAX light rail line between Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro. The trains, using equipment provided by the Willamette & Pacific and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, connected with MAX trains at the Beaverton Creek light rail station using an adjacent freight spur.

The project has received both state and federal funding; construction began in October 2007, and service is scheduled to begin in September 2008. The service, known as Westside Express Service or WES, will use a combination of new and rebuilt trackage. It will begin at the Beaverton Transit Center, providing direct cross-platform connection to MAX and many bus lines. Meanwhile, officials in the Salem-Keizer area are looking into an eventual extension of this route all the way to Salem.

Portland-McMinnville: This route would use the former Southern Pacific, now Union Pacific, Portland-Eugene main line from Portland to Willsburg Junction, then the former SP, now-Portland & Western West Side Line to McMinnville. Intermediate stops could include southeast Portland, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Lake Grove, Tualatin, Sherwood, Newberg and Lafayette. This service would help reduce congestion on adjacent Ore. Hwy. 99W.

A variation to this proposal would have the service run up the west side of the Willamette River to Riverplace, using the former Southern Pacific Jefferson Street Branch, currently the route of the seasonal Willamette Shore Trolley. This line was part of the SP Red Electric interurban system from 1915 to 1929, and carried up to 16 daily round trips between Portland and Lake Oswego.

Beaverton-Milwaukie: This route would use the former SP Tillamook Branch and West Side Line, now-P&W, from Beaverton to Milwaukie. Intermediate stops could include Washington Square, Tigard, Lake Grove and Lake Oswego. This service could complement or serve as a future extension of the Milwaukie-Lake Oswego shuttle (see the Forgotten Bridge page.)

Portland-Wilsonville: This service would use the same route as the proposed McMinnville service as far as Tualatin, then follow a new connection onto the former Oregon Electric line south to Wilsonville. Intermediate stops could include southeast Portland, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Lake Grove and Tualatin.  This route would help reduce congestion on adjacent Ore. Hwy. 99W and Interstate 5.         

Portland-Canby: This route would use the former Southern Pacific main line from Portland south to Canby. Intermediate stops could include southeast Portland, Milwaukie, Clackamas and Oregon City.  This route would help reduce congestion on adjacent Ore. Hwy. 99E and Interstate 205. A future extension of this route could reach south to Woodburn. This line is part of Amtrak's Pacific Northwest Corridor.

Portland-Troutdale: This route would use the Union Pacific line through northeast Portland east to Troutdale. Intermediate stops could include northeast Portland, Gresham, Fairview and Wood Village. This route would help reduce congestion on adjacent Interstate 84.

Portland-Washougal: This route would use the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Portland-Seattle main line north to Vancouver, Wash., then east along the BNSF Vancouver-Spokane main line to Washougal. Intermediate stops could include northwest/north Portland, Vancouver, east Vancouver and Camas.  This route would help reduce congestion on adjacent Interstate 5 and Wash. Hwy. 14. The segment between Portland and Vancouver is part of Amtrak's Pacific Northwest Corridor.

Service on these routes would run primarily during the morning and evening rush hours Monday-Friday; midday and weekend services could also operate. Equipment could include diesel multiple-unit railcars such as the Colorado Railcar Aero DMU pictured here while on a demonstration in the Portland area in November 2002, or locomotive-hauled, push-pull trains using single-level or multilevel coaches. TriMet has ordered three DMUs and one trailer coach from Colorado Railcar for the Beaverton-Wilsonville WES.