‘It's great': Some Middle Tennessee residents commute using WeGo Star
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — If you spend any time in Nashville, you'll know auto traffic can be a problem during rush hour. However, some Middle Tennessee residents skip commuting via car in favor of the WeGo Star.
Mayor Freddie O'Connell talks about Nashville's transit plan
The commuter train has been in service since 2006 and can take you all the way from Wilson County into the heart of downtown Nashville; WeGo Star has seven stops across 32 miles. See below for a full map provided by WeGo Public Transit:
←
Move left
→
Move right
↑
Move up
↓
Move down
+
Zoom in
-
Zoom out
Home
Jump left by 75%
End
Jump right by 75%
Page Up
Jump up by 75%
Page Down
Jump down by 75%
To navigate, press the arrow keys.
Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the map
Map
Terrain
Satellite
Labels
Keyboard shortcuts
Map DataMap data ©2025 Google
Map data ©2025 Google
2 km Click to toggle between metric and imperial units
Terms
Report a map error
For more than a decade, Sabrina Hooper has boarded the WeGo Star train to get to work each morning, bypassing lines of cars on the interstate.
'I take the Hermitage train station and it's about two miles from my house, so, I go there and then I get on the train. It takes me downtown to First Street,' Hooper told News 2. 'It's great. The train takes me out of the congestion of the traffic. Even when I bought my house, I made sure that it was still on the line of the train so that I could come in.'
Not only is the ride swift and congestion-free, the roughly half-hour commute from Hermitage into the city provides a space for productivity in the train's quiet cars.
News 2 On Tour | Explore the communties that shape Middle Tennessee
'You can't have loud conversations…it gives you a time to get ready for the day,' Hooper said.
By the end of 2019, Donelson saw just under 23,000 riders; Hermitage saw nearly 48,000. After a drop in ridership thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership last year started to increase.
WeGo officials said ridership is looking up.
'Really what we're trying to do is get people into work because it's primarily a commuter train right now. Three trips in the morning and three trips in the afternoon,' said Eric Melcher, public information officer for WeGo. 'It's been tremendous growth in Donelson that we've noticed; retail and housing development, and also civic development like the new library, [have helped.]'
WeGo surveyed train riders two years ago to look for opportunities for improvement to the rail system. In the meantime, riders like Hooper tells News 2 WeGo star is already a positive that makes work and life just a little bit easier.
'I think it's just helpful all around — my quality of life has gone up and I just feel better being able to get on the train and come in,' Hooper said.
⏩
WeGo officials added they're in the process of refurbishing another passenger rail car, which they expect to be in service this year.
'It's kind of neat that it's all centered around the WeGo Star station in Donelson. It's really being perceived as kind of a hub — and that's not by accident,' Melcher added. 'People realize that people want to live and get to things easier with public transit.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Activist fund Palliser builds stake in travel retailer WH Smith
A prominent activist investment firm has begun building a stake in WH Smith, the travel retailer, weeks after it sold off its historic high street arm. Sky News has learnt that Palliser Capital has acquired close to 5% of the London-listed company in recent weeks - worth about £65m at the current share price. Sources said the stake was expected to be disclosed publicly at an industry conference on Thursday afternoon. Money latest: Palliser, which recently led an effort to force Rio Tinto, the global mining group, to abandon its London listing in favour of Australia, is said to hold WH Smith's management team - led by chief executive Carl Cowling - in high regard. The investment fund believes, however, that returns to WH Smith shareholders could be bolstered through a series of self-help measures. These included reviewing the travel retailer's leverage targets and capital allocation policy to ensure better use of its balance sheet, according to one source. Improving investor communication and disclosure, and overhauling its executive incentive structure to align it more closely with the interests of shareholders are also on Palliser's wishlist, the source added. Shares in WH Smith are still trading at levels comparable to their lows during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global travel industry faced near-total shutdown for long periods. The company's depressed share price is not unique to WH Smith, with SSP, the transport catering group, also drawing interest from activists in recent months. WH Smith trades from more than 1,200 travel stores in over 30 countries. "The group operates in structurally advantaged growth markets," it said in April. "Passenger numbers are forecast to grow in air travel by 2.5 times between 2024 and 2050, driven by both population and economic growth. "Investment in airport infrastructure is also increasing across the globe creating more opportunities for airport retailing." Palliser is understood to have identified WH Smith's high growth potential in the US as particularly attractive, and is said to believe that there is scope for its shares to nearly double in value in the next three years. WH Smith's decision to offload its town centre business, which dates back to 1792, was revealed by Sky News in January, and was viewed as a fresg symbol of the British high street's decline. Comprising about 480 stores and roughly 5,000 staff, the unit was sold to Modella Capital, an increasingly prolific investor in retail businesses. The stores are being rebranded under the new name TG Jones. Read more from Sky News:Thousands of Poundland jobs at risk as brand soldBillionaire Blavatnik courted to take Telegraph stakeSpending review's key points at a glance On Thursday afternoon, shares in WH Smith were trading at around £10.60 - down more than 10% over the last year, and giving the company a market capitalisation of £1.36bn. A spokesman for Palliser, which led a successful campaign against the board of London-listed Capricorn Energy, declined to comment. WH Smith has been contacted for comment.

Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tourism study shows rebound in visitors
A recently tourism study shows visitors to Joplin spent more than $209 million here in a year and that the visitor numbers have rebounded since a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'It was good to know that the spending power of our guests definitely has an impact both directly and indirectly,' said Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, of the study results. The bureau retained the firm of Downs & St. Germain Research of Tallahassee, Florida, to provide updated data on the impact of tourism on Joplin's economy. Joseph St. Germain, president of the firm, said more than 2,000 surveys were done of visitors from April 2024 through March 2025 to collect data. Much of the information was harvested from field interviews of visitors and some through the use of email or QR code questionnaires or online panels. Overall, the results showed that more 1.15 million visitors were here during the span of that year. Their spending helps support a number of jobs available here, the study reported. Though the survey showed $209 million in direct spending, the total economic impact is calculated at $408.8 million from the indirect spending of those who provide services, meals and merchandise to visitors. St. Germain said that the indirect spending occurs when hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses buy things from the revenue resulting from visitors. Visitors used 415,600 nights of lodging during the survey year, which provided a large share of the spending. The firm's study showed that tourism spending provided 2,730 jobs and more than $95.8 million in wages. Sports and Route 66 travel were two of the categories driving visitors to Joplin. Mike Greninger, a hotel manager who also operates Parkwood Tournaments, staging baseball and softball events, said these types of studies are helpful to those who depend on tourism and travel. 'It's a lot easier to track sporting events. There are so many things to track and you can gauge numbers better' with studies like this one. 'I'm amazed at how much travel and how many guests we receive from Route 66,' he said. In addition, Joplin and surrounding cities along with universities and other sports promoters do a good job, he said. 'I see our lobby in the mornings full of kids on their way traveling somewhere. We're at the crossroads here, and that's a benefit. They say half of the country's population are within a day's drive of here, and that's significant,' he said. As a father who traveled for his daughter to play ball, he added, 'The economic impact numbers are significant. Sometimes it's hard for people to believe them but they are true.' Bouncing back Tuttle said the study also showed that visits and hotel stays have bounced back after a downturn because of COVID-19. 'It's good that our occupancy rate was back to where it was before the pandemic,' Tuttle said of the report's results. 'A lot of towns were expecting to meet that mark this year. Before the pandemic, we were at 60% occupancy and we were at 60 to 65% of our motels rooms used during the reporting week.' Studies like this one are commissioned, he said, because 'it helps us in our marketing effort' so that advertising efforts can be targeted toward those likely to visit. 'It also helps to understand where some of the value is, where guests are going and what they're doing while they're here,' Tuttle said. The bureau will continue to collect data from visitors 'so we can keep the information current and see where the peaks and value are. We will crunch the numbers annually and see where we are. It's a tool to continue with our efforts,' he said. Another of the economic benefits to Joplin residents resulting from tourism is that visitor spending supplants $336 per household in state and local taxes that would have had to have been paid by locals without the dollars generated from those out-of-town visitors, the report showed. Nearly half of those who came into Joplin, or about 527,000, were here for a day trip and did not stay the night. The top three reasons cited for visiting Joplin were to spend time with friends and/or relatives for 30% of those surveyed. About 23% were here to attend a sporting event, and another 23% came for a special occasion or event. Sports and Route 66 are good draws of visitors to Joplin, according to the report's numbers. The survey analysts said that about 1 in 5 of those who came here were regional, living within 70 miles of Joplin. The largest group are those who live in nearby cities and communities. Next are visitors from Springfield, Kansas City, Tulsa in Oklahoma, St. Louis and Northwest Arkansas. Those who traveled from farther away were from cities such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Chicago and Denver. While they were here, the most common activities were dining out, shopping, visiting friends and relatives, going to sporting events, and taking in Route 66. Other popular activities were going to historic sites, and seeing or driving by historical homes and buildings.


San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
It's impossible to have a bad time at this S.F. restaurant specializing in meat on a stick
Two years ago, Zibo became China's hottest tourist destination. In March 2023 alone, the city of 4.7 million doubled in size, welcoming 4.8 million visitors. When train tickets from Beijing to Zibo were released for the May Day holiday, they sold out in one minute. What was drawing these hoards of merrymakers to a mid-sized city in Shandong Province best known for petrochemicals? Barbecue, specifically skewered meats grilled over charcoal. The country, newly released from COVID restrictions, was in collective search of cheap amusement, conviviality and community. Gathering with friends and family around Zibo's open-air grills checked all the boxes. Is it possible to have a bad time while eating food on a stick? No one is having difficult conversations over corn dogs or paletas. It's an inherently playful food format, enhanced by company and almost certainly by beer. If you'd like to get in on the fun and a quick trip to Zibo is not part of your summer plans, you can get reasonably close at Northern China BBQ in San Francisco. There will be several key differences. Northern China BBQ is not a grill-it-yourself style restaurant, which, frankly, is fine with me since chef-owner ZhiChao He is far more adept than I am at manning the flames. While Zibo's style of barbecue involves coddling the grilled meats inside flour tortilla-like wraps, He's cuisine is representative of his home province of Jilin, situated just above North Korea, and where, some would argue, the barbecue is even better than in Zibo. All ordering at Northern China BBQ is done, either in English or Chinese, via QR code, a convention that is rarely my preference. Here, however, it's ideal. Your entire party can add to the ticket and send it through piecemeal; you'll know your request has been received when you hear an aggressive 'ding' chiming from the kitchen. It's smart to order your skewers over the course of a few rounds since they come out quickly, and you can add more as your hunger level demands. There are meat options aplenty, ranging from cubes of lamb ($5.98) and spicy pork spareribs ($6.99) to tender frog legs ($6.99) and tiny duck tongues ($8.99), stacked one on top of the other, 10 to a stick, and looking very much like, well, tongues. If you like duck liver, you should give them a try. Crispy chicken skin ($4) folds back over on itself in ribbons like old-timey Christmas hard candy and adheres stubbornly to the bamboo skewer. If you're sharing this one, prepare to crunch and pass. Sweet Taiwanese sausage ($6) is scored on the bias, a many-petaled meat flower. Skip the chicken. It's possible to turn an outing at Northern China BBQ into a carnivorous orgy, but many of my favorite — and notably economical — skewers are vegetarian. Cauliflower florets ($2.99) and string beans ($2.99), tidily lined up in a row, were wonderfully charred and well-spiced, and the discs of burnished potatoes ($2) give even the finest home fries a run for their money. Rectangles of nearly translucent tofu skins ($5.99 for 10) look like banners welcoming you to a theme park. The item listed as 'gluten' on the menu ($5.99 for 10 skewers) is seitan, served in rings that resemble Chinese coins — or, you might muse while marveling over their chewiness, peach gummies. The skewers, all forcefully seasoned with a variety of spices including cumin, chiles and garlic powder as well as a touch of sugar, are the main draw, but the non-skewer portion of the menu is ripe for exploration as well. I'd advise starting your meal — and showing off your dexterity with chopsticks — with an order of spicy, málà peanuts ($9.99). Roasted eggplant ($8.99), charred and served split open, ready to be scooped, is a garlicky, custardy marvel. Large-format options include an excellent beef dish ($35.99), served in an iron pot set over a burner and loaded with cabbage, cauliflower, black fungus and potatoes, all blanketed by fresh and dried chiles and sesame seeds. And there's a whole section of braised dishes served in round tinfoil takeout containers. The choice of vessel remains a mystery to me, but the duck blood ($18.99) is well worth ordering. The slabs of congealed blood resemble tofu in texture, and the fortifying spicy broth in which they're served begs to be spooned over a side of rice or simply slurped. He's wife, Ling Ye, oversees the two dining rooms — one with booths, the other with tables — and a variety of other family members will run your skewers from the kitchen or refresh your beverage. She's also behind much of the decor, which includes bold word art on the walls. One, in Chinese characters, reads, 'When the sun sets, it's time to drink.' (Northern China BBQ is open until 11:30 p.m. with the exception of Mondays, leaving plenty of time to tie one on, even during long summer days.) On the facing wall are more characters with their rough English translation underneath: 'In the same city, why haven't we seen each other for a long time?' On each of my visits, there was a poignancy to the question as I swapped skewers with friends and family members whom I hadn't seen in a month or two. Let this be your nudge to get on the group text. It's time to reconnect with your loved ones over chicken gizzards on a stick. Northern China BBQ 294 9th St., San Francisco. Noise level: Quiet to moderate Meal for two, without drinks: $50-90 What to order: Lamb, duck tongue and pork sparerib skewers ($6-9 each); potato, cauliflower and string bean skewers ($2-3); spicy peanuts ($10); iron pot beef ($36) Drinks: Tsingtao beer and a wide variety of bottled soft drinks, including snow pear juice, iced teas and soymilk Best practices: Come with a group and place your order in rounds rather than all at once. Try some offal — beef aorta will appeal to squid lovers, duck tongues to fans of duck liver mousse. And those bamboo cylinders on each table? They're for your spent skewers.