TriMet posted commuter-rail ridership increase in summer

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon's (TriMet) overall ridership dropped 5 percent to 24.6 million rides during the summer compared with the same 2012 period, but WES commuter-rail ridership soared 10.3 percent, agency officials announced this week.

WES' ridership set a record during the June through August period, posting an average of 1,930 rides per weekday compared with the year-ago period, TriMet officials said in a press release.

Weekday bus ridership fell 3.5 percent in the summer, while MAX light-rail ridership dropped 7.4 percent to about 123,100 rides per weekday.

Agency officials attributed the decrease in MAX riders to the agency's elimination of the free rail zone in 2012, which was anticipated to negatively impact ridership.