The Pacific Northwest remains in the running with 10 other regions for a shiny new item this Christmas: a sleek, streamlined rail line shooting up from Eugene to Vancouver, B.C., in less than four hours, reaching up to 110 mph.
Eugene mayor Kitty Piercy and Oregon House Rep. Nancy Nathanson are joining both the University of Oregon and Lane Community College OSPIRG chapters today to promote the creation of a 466-mile-long Pacific Northwest corridor rail and urge Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden to reinstitute recently lost funding.
In July, Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced that the Oregon Department of Transportation had applied for $2.3 billion in federal stimulus money, to be taken out of the House’s bill that dedicates $4 billion to high-speed rail investments. Following this announcement, the Senate quickly cut the amount by 75 percent, allocating only $1.2 billion nationwide toward rail systems.
Today’s 10 a.m. gathering at the Amtrak station aims to gain public and legislative attention on why the $4 billion should be returned to the high-speed funds in Congress’ 2010 transportation allocation bill. This bill is to be finalized in a conference committee by the end of December.
Piercy, Nathanson and OSPIRG board chair and University student Charles Denson will speak at the event.
“While we need funding for all aspects of public transportation,” Denson said, “a high-speed rail can compete with all forms of transportation, especially cars.”
Denson claimed that a high-speed rail would be a carbon-cutting option, as it replaces car usage and has potential run solely on renewable energy in the future.
OSPIRG spokesperson Jenn Lavelle said the state group believes a high-speed railway is an environmental necessity.
“Federal investment in high-speed rail in Oregon will create tens of thousands of quality American jobs, reduce our global warming pollution, make our air cleaner, and facilitate travel along the congested (Interstate) 5 corridor,” Lavelle said.
ODOT estimates that the proposed Pacific Northwest line project will reduce carbon emissions by more than 69,000 pounds per year and create more than 44,000 jobs. In addition, the rail could increase round trips from Portland to Eugene from two per day to six per day.
Out of the 10 other regions competing for the rail funding, the Pacific Northwest rail is one of two proposed for the West Coast, along with a California line running from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Each region’s PIRG chapter is holding a high-speed rail “day of action” to publicize the underfunding and promote high-speed rail support, similar to OSPIRG’s, today, Denson said.
“I feel like the Pacific Northwest would be a top contender for a line, once Congress realizes we need more funding,” said Denson.
Nathanson agreed that the future of the Pacific Northwest corridor is bright, based on the strong collaboration between Oregon and Washington.
Nathanson, who has been working to improve passenger and freight rail since the 1990s,
believes the new administration finally understands the importance of high-speed travel.
“If the leadership is not interested in what you’re working to promote, it’s like swimming upstream,” Nathanson said.
She said she now feels more confident than ever for the rail’s future.
“We’re looking for something that is achievable and shows that we can obtain faster, better, and more rail in Oregon,” Nathanson said.
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