Rail connections in the Willamette Valley seem to be generally pretty poor–the only line in any reasonable shape (the UPRR main line) is single-track for most of its length, and geographic constraints (such as where the line passes through the Willamette River gorge through the Tualatin Mountains–the Canby to Oregon City stretch) probably will keep it that way.

Google Maps makes it look unlikely. However, it also makes Stanwood look like a *destination*. The other thing it demonstrates is that the trains are already slowing down on various curves and grade crossings near Stanwood.

I think worrying about lost time on the northern Cascades is not appropriate until something is done about the disastrous state of the route north of the border, which eats many more minutes than the 1 minute station stop here. Until BC or Canada gets serious about the Cascades, this is always going to be a low-speed line. Hence the prioritizing of speed investments in the Seattle-Portland corridor.

Steel Bridge is a long-term problem. The HSR corridor is clearly going to terminate at Portland for a long time to come, unfortunately. The Eugene service has not gotten much love.

The biggest issue is that the State of Oregon isn’t improving the PDX to Eugene corridor at the same pace as WA has been doing during the last few years. OR is behind WA in our investments to get higher speeds through the Willamette River Valley (God’s Country from those of you who know about The Oregon Trail).

The ODOT doesn’t really have any investments to improve passenger rail speeds that I can point too. WA does invest in these improvements. It’s true that the main part of this corridor lies mainly in WA but the time is quickly arriving that the ODOT will not be able to ignore or delay the investments that are required.

Currently we in Portland have a wonderful rail station at Union Station. But it is on the wrong side of the Willamette River and is to small for the future demands for HSR (both N/S and future E/W line following the I-84 Corridor). Currently the Amtrak trains have to slow to 5mph to make turns across two railroad bridges in the City of Portland. One of this bridges (Steel) is used by seven types of transit (people walking and biking, passenger rail, freight rail, light rail for our MAX system, cars and trucks, and buses). It is a one of a kind bridge. But isn’t designed for higher speeds for passenger rail, let alone a future true HSR Corridor through Portland.

We are a real bottleneck for both rail freight, passenger freight, and for cars and trucks (see CRC documents about this reality.

Once Oregon gets its act together for our two sections (OR/WA Bridge to the downtown station is the main section (only five miles max.) and then the corridor South of downtown Portland to Eugene is the second section that will need investments for that 100 miles of track) of this corridor then I will feel like we have caught up with the investments that WA is making now.

If they want to know if it’ll increase ridership, they should know that it’ll at least increase by one – me. (Or two if you count my husband)

My main objection would be that, for Gratoit’s entire length, there is an equally razor-straight rail line about two miles to the west. Canadian National Railway owns the tracks (see http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Official_Rail_130897_7.pdf) Now I know CN is a private company and doesn’t have to play ball, but if I were the Federal employee reviewing MDOT’s request, I’d ask MDOT if at any point they said, “hey, CN, if we gave you a third of a BILLION dollars, would you upgrade your tracks in Wayne County and give our commuter trains priority?”

Of course, as you know from this website’s own “An Interstate Rail Network” post, the big picture problem is that Michigan left out the most useful transit upgrade of all: they should be asking for funding to upgrade the CSX tracks from Wayne County Airport to Toledo in order to run true High Speed Rail!