Portland — Oregon wants to dramatically increase the number of passenger trains running between Portland and Eugene during the next 17 years, a proposal that could cost upwards of $1 billion to implement but officials say would give commuters a more reliable and convenient option other than driving.
The state released its draft plan Friday to beef up Amtrak service on the route through the heart of the Willamette Valley, an area projected to grow to 3.6 million residents by 2035, a 27 percent increase from today.
The draft environmental impact statement comes after six years of study, and it lands as Oregon, Washington and Canada are simultaneously ramping up long-discussed plans to create a so-called bullet train between Portland and Vancouver, B.C. That plan would cost anywhere from $25 billion to more than $40 billion to build.
Gov. Kate Brown believes Amtrak passenger rail service in the Willamette Valley is “one of the most underutilized assets in Oregon’s transportation system,” Nikki Fisher, the governor’s press secretary, said in an email. “It has the potential to reduce congestion on I-5 and assist in meeting Oregon’s carbon reduction goals. The Governor’s expectation is to have an improved level of service and a plan that will result in housing opportunities adjacent to stations.”
Oregon has two round-trip trains running daily between Eugene and Portland. If the preferred plan were approved, the route would have six daily round-trip trains by 2035. According to the draft plan, the added service is estimated to draw 646,000 annual riders, more than triple the amount if Oregon were to do nothing by 2035.
The state analyzed three options: doing nothing, making some improvements to speed up existing service, or a more ambitious plan that would’ve called for a dramatically different route and carving through farmland.
The preferred option would keep much of the existing 125-mile route but build some new sections of track to eliminate conflicts with freight trains. Trains would continue to travel at a maximum of 79 miles per hour.
The state doesn’t have the money to make the plan a reality, but it hopes to secure federal financing, and transportation officials say the state is eyeing an incremental approach that could win smaller chunks of financing over time to make improvements to rail service.
Specific improvements include widening 64 railroad crossings, adding track in some places and redesigning stations. The route includes stops in Portland, Oregon City, Salem, Albany and Eugene.
Alternative plans
Aside from doing nothing, the option state officials don’t prefer would plot a new route from Springfield to Oregon City and shifting passenger rail to run along Interstates 5 and 205.
That plan, described as Alternative 2, would have boosted train speeds to a maximum of 120 miles per hour along a new section of track. It would also cost an estimated $3.62 billion to $4.44 billion compared with the preferred plan, which would cost an estimated $870 million to $1.03 billion.
Alternative 2 would have required significant right of way acquisition through valuable farmland in the valley.
The option earmarked as the preferred plan by state officials would shave 15 minutes off the travel time between Portland and Eugene by 2035. The expected travel time if nothing is built would be 2:35, similar to the average travel time today. The third option would have cut travel times to 2:02.
