Can Middle Tennessee’s only commuter train be more rider-friendly? Riders are weighing in on the WeGo Star.

Each day, about 400 people ride the WeGo Star commuter train — and that’s 40% of pre-pandemic numbers.

So the agency is now doing a study to see how it can increase ridership and make service more convenient. WeGo held one of five community engagement meetings at Donelson Station on Wednesday night.

Officials explained that one of the plans is to make it easier for riders to get to and from work using a combination of both the train and bus.

That would help resident Shelby Reed. She says she would love to take the train to and from work, but the current bus routes make it inconvenient.

“I have to take two buses from the downtown train station to get to the hospital I work at in West Nashville,” she said. “It takes longer to do that part of it then it does just to drive from my house to the hospital.”

The study will also look into the possibility of adding midday service. Currently, the Star only runs during morning and afternoon rush hour. However, that would take working out a new agreement with Nashville & Eastern Railroad, which owns the tracks.

Transit planners say other ideas are also up for consideration, such as adding stations and new shuttle service connections.

Next week, public meetings will happen at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Mt. Juliet and at the same time on Wednesday in Lebanon. Residents can fill out a survey or attend the in-person meetings.