Clark County should consider using the existing Amtrak line to provide commuter service from Clark County to Union Station in Portland. Adding a couple of trains is a comparatively inexpensive project.
I lived in Connecticut before coming to Washington in 2012, went to New York often, and found it was usually more convenient to take the train. I would often drive one hour to Mamaroneck, N.Y., and take Metro North the rest of the way to Grand Central and get the subway. This saved time, gas, and parking costs.
Amtrak already provides service to Portland from Vancouver and back, but the earliest service is 10:30 a.m. and costs $17 round trip. That is too expensive for the short distance, but I’d pay $6 round trip for it; equivalent distance and price from Branford, Conn., to New Haven, Conn., on the Shoreline East commuter rail, which incidentally only operates westbound in the morning, and eastbound in the evening.
Someone should assess the feasibility of a commuter option along the existing Amtrak rail line. No need for light rail on the Interstate 5 Bridge or an east county bridge. Just connect to convenient stops along the existing rail line; Vancouver and Ridgefield, and perhaps south Cowlitz County.
