Major cities:
Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene
Overview:
Designated as a high-speed rail corridor in 1992, this 466-mile route houses Amtrak corridor and long-distance trains, Sounder commuter services in the Seattle region, and the freight trains of the owning railroad companies (Union Pacific and BNSF). Amtrak's Cascades service links Eugene and Portland, Oregon with Tacoma and Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Since its 1992 designation, the FHWA and FRA have jointly allocated $8.395 million for grade crossing improvements on this corridor, primarily between Portland and Seattle. Between 1994 and 2007, Washington (with participation from Oregon) invested a total of some $700 million from all sources to upgrade track and signal systems, renovate stations, and purchase trains to operate on the Pacific Northwest Corridor. Incremental improvements are planned to eventually support 110 mph service with greater frequencies on the Portland–Seattle–Vancouver portion of the corridor.
Status:
In November 2008, voters in the State of Washington passed a ballot measure called “Sound Transit 2,” which provided $17.9 billion for transit and commuter rail investment in the Puget Sound region. Environmental documents have been prepared for the Vancouver Rail Bypass and Pt. Defiance Bypass projects.
Pacific Northwest Corridor Contacts
|
Organization
|
Personal Contact
|
Topics
|
Washington State Dept of Transportation
Public Transportation and Rail Division
P.O. Box 47387
Olympia, WA 98504-7387
www.wsdot.wa.gov/choices/train.cfm
|
Scott Witt
Freight Systems Division Co-Director
State Rail and Marine Director
Tel: 360-705-6903
Fax: 360-705-6821
witts@wsdot.wa.gov
|
Amtrak; Passenger rail; High speed rail; freight rail service; grade crossings; infrastructure improvements. |
Oregon Dept of Transportation
Rail Division
555 13th Street NE, Suite 3
Salem, OR 97301
www.odot.state.or.us/rail
|
John Hutchinson
Rail Division Manager
Tel: 503-986-4169
Fax: 503-986-3183
jonathan.a.hutchinson@odot.state.or.us
|
Amtrak; Passenger rail; High speed rail. |
