The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Hamilton Springs Station celebrates grand opening




hamilton springs station

hamilton springs station

Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) officials and Wilson County leaders officially celebrated the new Music City Star train station in West Lebanon’s Hamilton Springs Thursday, marking the beginning of train operations for the state’s first transit-oriented development (TOD).

RTA CEO Steve Bland, Wilson County Mayor and RTA Vice Chair Randall Hutto, Lebanon Mayor Bernie Ash, Horn Springs Group Developer Jack Bell and Ward 6 Lebanon City Councilor Rick Bell gathered to commemorate the train station, which officially came online and began serving passengers boarding at Hamilton Springs on Aug. 27.

“The new Hamilton Springs Station is just one more example of the tremendous growth we are experiencing in Lebanon,” Ash said. “We are grateful for the foresight of the Bell family in creating a transit-oriented development that will benefit the citizens of Lebanon for years to come.”

The Hamilton Springs Station covers 3.2 acres and is a central part of the TOD – a community that has been planned, designed and constructed to emphasize the use of transportation modes other than cars. The station serves residents of the Hamilton Springs community as well as other county residents, thanks to a Park & Ride with 160 lighted parking spaces next to the train station.

“It is an exciting day for RTA and Wilson County as we welcome a fourth Music City Star station to Wilson County and a seventh station along the East Corridor Line,” Hutto said. “The addition of Hamilton Springs is further proof that transit is booming in our region, and we are proud to be able to provide another viable option for new and veteran riders traveling to downtown Nashville. We are very excited to continue to watch Hamilton Springs grow and thrive.”

The station is a total investment of $4.1 million, not including the land donation by Jack Bell and Rick Bell. It is a true regional partnership of several agencies and organizations, including the RTA, the Federal Transit Administration, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of Lebanon, TDOT’s Long-Range Planning Division and Horn Springs Development Inc.

“It is hard to believe it was a little over a year ago that we were celebrating the groundbreaking for this station and the moment where the region’s first transit-oriented development took its first step from drawings and dreams toward rail and reality,” Bland said. “As Middle Tennessee continues to experience unprecedented growth, transit-oriented development projects like Hamilton Springs are essential to provide increased mobility options through the creation of livable, walkable communities that encourage riding the train and other multi-modal transportation options.”

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