Oregon Department of Transportation Archives

On March 7, Amtrak will be adding a second round-trip train between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., restoring the Cascades line to pre-pandemic levels. (Photo Courtesy of Amtrak)

January 18, 2023
Passenger

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NJ Transit

Amtrak to restore full service on the Cascade line to pre-pandemic levels. Also, NJ Transit expands Student Discount Program to include part-time students.

Cutting the celebratory ribbon at Millersburg are, from left, ConGlobal CEO Brandt Ring, Governor Kate Brown, Linn County Commissioner and Board Vice Chair for the Linn County Economic Development Group Roger Nyquist, Julie Brown, ODOT Director Kris Strickler Kris Strickler and UP Senior Director of Public Affairs Aaron Hunt Aaron Hunt.

December 20, 2022
Intermodal

Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Center Opens in Oregon

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) on Dec. 15 celebrated the grand opening and completion of the $35.5 million, 64-acre truck-to-rail Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Center.

Premier John Horgan and Gov. Inslee signed a MOU in October 2018 to “act jointly to grow the region’s innovation economy, protect the environment and combat climate change, promote trade and improve transportation connectivity.”

September 14, 2022
High Performance

B.C., WSDOT Invest in Next Phase of Vancouver-Seattle-Portland High-Speed Rail Study

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Province of British Columbia (B.C.) are supporting the feasibility of a high-speed rail service connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland with $4 million in funding and a $300,000 investment, respectively, toward the next phase of the Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation (UHSGT) project.

LACMTA’s Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project would extend the L Line nine miles from East Los Angeles (at Pomona and Atlantic boulevards) to Whittier, serving the cities of Commerce, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, and Whittier, and the unincorporated communities of East Los Angeles and West Whittier-Los Nietos. (Rendering Courtesy of LACMTA)

July 05, 2022
Passenger

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, LACMTA

Amtrak Cascades service to all cities north of Seattle, Wash., including Vancouver, British Columbia, will resume in September. Also, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the extension of the L Line (Gold), known as the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project.

Starting Nov. 18, 2021, a total of eight trains—including Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight—will use the Point Defiance Bypass between Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., each day “with additional trains added in the months ahead as COVID restrictions ease,” Amtrak said. In addition, operations in Tacoma, Wash., will move to the new Tacoma Dome Station (pictured), near Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail and light rail stations on East 25th Street.

November 10, 2021
Intercity

Amtrak Service Returning to Point Defiance Bypass

Amtrak will resume Cascades service on the Point Defiance Bypass between Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., on Nov. 18, nearly four years after an overspeed derailment stopped service there.

October 24, 2018
Passenger

New impact study for Oregon passenger proposal

Oregon after years of study has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for proposed passenger service upgrades between Eugene and Portland.

July 31, 2018
High Performance

HSR in the PNW?

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is envisioning a 250-mph “ultra-high speed ground transportation system” connecting Vancouver, B.C.; Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore., with Seattle-Vancouver and Seattle-Portland travel times reduced to one hour each. Engineering and professional services consultancy WSP will be preparing a business case analysis for what WSDOT describes as “an international, public-private partnership of WSDOT; the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT); the British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology; and Microsoft Corp.”

January 08, 2018
Class I

Oregon DOT receives transload pre-proposals

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) received six pre-proposals from firms willing to build two transload facilities in Treasure Valley and in the mid-Willamette Valley.

August 28, 2015
Regulatory

Oregon ramps up rail safety oversight

The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) on August 28, 2015 approved an updated set of rules for transporting hazardous materials by rail. Combined with Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) addition of four Federal Railroad Administration-certified rail inspectors, the rules “aim to improve the state’s ability to prevent incidents and respond to them if they occur,” OTC said.

May 01, 2015
Class I

Siskiyou rail line set to reopen

Construction is under way on the first of three phases to upgrade the CORP (Central Oregon & Pacific) Siskiyou rail line; work will begin this spring and summer to reopen the 95-mile line between Ashland, Ore. and Weed, Calif. The 389-mile CORP is a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary.