Music City Star
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| Music City STAR | |
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| Locale | Nashville Metropolitan Area |
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| Transit type | Regional rail |
| Began operation | 2006 |
| System length | 32 mi (51.5 km) |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 6 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) |
| Operator(s) | Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) |
The Music City Star is a regional rail service running between Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee. The service uses the existing trackage of the Nashville and Eastern Railroad. The line currently has six stops: Riverfront Station (western terminus), Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Martha (Tennessee State Route 109 and U.S. Highway 70), and Lebanon (eastern terminus). The operation covers 32 miles (52 km) of rail line. Service began on September 18, 2006.
The Star is considered a "starter" project to demonstrate the effectiveness of commuter rail service to the metro Nashville area. Expansion plans include as many as six more lines, terminating in Gallatin, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Dickson, Springfield, and Ashland City. All are planned to use existing CSX Transportation railroad lines. The planned seven lines meet in central Nashville in a star formation, hence the name of the system, which also alludes to the city's many country music stars.
The Star's locomotives are EMD F-40 locomotives that were previously used by Amtrak. The passenger cars were acquired through federal transfer of interest from Chicago's Metra commuter rail system, originally built in the 1960s and rebuilt between 1999 and 2000. The color scheme is identical to Metra's.
The Star is the first passenger train service of any kind for Nashville since the discontinuation of Amtrak's Floridian in 1979. The Nashville and Eastern line, part of the former Tennessee Central Railway, had not seen passenger service for many decades prior to the Star.
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[edit] Equipment & Rolling Stock
Music City STAR commuter rail is currently served by 3 rebuilt Amtrak Locomotives and 7 ex-Chicago Metra coaches, all of which are standard gauge.
The coaches are bi-level gallery cars with seating on both levels. Each seat can be easily reversed to face either direction and can also be configured for groups.
[edit] Lines
Currently there is only one line with 6 more planned to other satellite cities around Nashville.
The current line is 32 miles long with 6 stations. The line is mostly one track, so this limits arrivals and departures to how long each train has to wait for the other to pass. The first "starter line" cost $41 million, which made it the most cost efficient commuter rail start-up in the nation.[citation needed] By comparison: San Diego Coaster, $91 million for 41 miles; Seattle Sounder, $860 million for 33 miles; Salt Lake City FrontRunner, $360 million for 43 miles; and New Mexico Rail Runner Express, $125 million for 29 miles.
