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NW might be on
track for high-speed rail
MIKE MADDEN,
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON - 6/28/01 -- A
high-speed rail line modeled on Europe's ultra-fast, long-distance
trains could eventually run from Eugene, Ore., to Vancouver, British
Columbia, under a bill introduced Wednesday in the House.
A bipartisan group of supporters sees the measure as a way to
revitalize the nation's railroad system and ease congestion on highways
and airport runways around the country.
The bill would let Amtrak sell $12 billion in bonds over the next 10
years to pay for upgrading track and buying trains that could travel up
to 150 mph -- like the Acela Express service now running between
Washington, D.C., and Boston. The bill, sponsored by Reps. James
Oberstar, D-Minn., and Amo Houghton, R-N.Y., would give bondholders
federal tax credits instead of interest.
The Pacific Northwest is one of 12 regions eligible for the
high-speed rail. The Department of Transportation would evaluate
applications from the regions and direct Amtrak to make the necessary
upgrades to areas the department chose.
Transit agencies in Oregon and Washington state have been working on
plans for high-speed rail for years.
With $600 billion to $800 billion from the federal government, the
high-speed trains could be running as many as 13 trips daily between
Seattle and Portland, and four or five trips between Eugene and Portland
and between Seattle and Vancouver, said Bruce Agnew, director of the
Discovery Institute's Cascadia Project. The group is a public policy
initiative that encourages cooperation between the Pacific Northwest and
British Columbia.
Right now, four trains run between Portland and Seattle, and one goes
between Seattle and Vancouver. Still, 96,000 people rode the
Seattle-Vancouver line last year, according to Amtrak.
On the Web
www.cascadiaproject.org,Cascadia
Project
www.amtrakcascades.com,Amtrak
Cascades information
www.house.gov/larsen,
Rep. Rick Larsen The Olympian Copyright 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |