The Oregon Department of Transportation is studying ways to improve intercity passenger rail service between Eugene and Portland. The study will help decide on a general passenger rail route and evaluate options for train frequency, trip time, and improving on-time performance. In the summer and fall of 2012, ODOT asked the public to weigh in on what passenger rail should look like in the Eugene to Portland area. They received over 800 comments. Based on this input, ODOT drafted project goals and objectives and identified a range of route options between Eugene and Portland. To learn more, visit www.OregonPassengerRail.org
UPDATE January 8, 2013: Latest alignment options and materials have been posted here. In Milwaukie, the Oregon Electric Line (that runs through downtown) is no longer being considered. The Union Pacific Main line is still under consideration.
Mayor Ferguson has arranged a project briefing for the City of Milwaukie. He sits on the Leadership Council reviewing the project and they will be making a final recommendation at the end of January. (More background on the Leadership Council below.) The City of Milwaukie is the only community receiving a project briefing. We encourage Milwaukie citizens to attend. There will be time to ask questions at this meeting and comment cards will be collected and submitted to the Leadership Council and ODOT.
Milwaukie Project Briefing
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
*5:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Milwaukie Center
5440 SE Kellogg Creek Dr
Milwaukie OR 97222
*Sign in will start at 5:45pm with a presentation commencing at 6:00pm.
ODOT is hosting other public meetings in January 2013 which the community is encouraged to attend:
Open Houses in the Region:
• Portland Open House
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Drop in anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Multnomah County Building
501 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
• Tualatin/Lake Oswego Open House
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Drop in anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Tualatin Police Department
8650 SW Tualatin Rd
Tualatin, OR 97062
• Oregon City Open House
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Drop in anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Pioneer Center Ballroom
615 Fifth St
Oregon City, OR 97045
Online Open House:
Visit their site online anytime between Tuesday, January 8 and Friday, January 25 to learn about the project and share your thoughts. www.OregonPassengerRail.org
Open Houses Outside the Region:
• Springfield Open House
Jan 8, 2013 - 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
ODOT Office, McLane Conference Room (2nd floor), 644 North A St, Springfield, OR, 97477
• Albany Open House
Jan 16, 2013 - 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Albany Public Library (Main Library), 2450 14th Ave SE Albany, OR 97322
• Salem Open House
Jan 17, 2013 - 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry, 626 High Street NE, Salem, OR, 97301
Future Meetings—further details to be announced:
Corridor Forum Meeting January 24, 2013 Time TBD
Cascade Hall: Mckenzie Room Salem Fairgrounds
2330 17th St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
Leadership Council Meeting #07 January 31, 2013 Location TBD
Background info from Mayor Ferguson:
Governor John Kitzhaber established the Leadership Council to guide the project and develop consensus based recommendations that will be submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration for final approval. The Leadership Council is a core advisory group composed mostly of elected officials from the Willamette Valley. Mayor Ferguson was selected by the governor to represent Clackamas County and the south metro area. The group will advise the Governor and the Oregon Transportation Commission on a preferred alignment for intercity passenger rail improvements that will become a foundation for the future to make Oregon more competitive for rail project funding.
The Oregon Passenger Rail project contains three overall phases – Understand, Evaluate and Recommend. The project is currently in the Understand phase. This phase seeks to identify the overall issues along the Portland to Eugene rail corridor and to ensure an appropriate range of alternatives is selected to consider as the Environmental Impact Statement moves forward.
Two of the major decisions that need to be made early on in the Understand phase include development of the project Purpose and Need statement and the project Goals and Objectives. ODOT held a series of Public Meetings in September 2012 to get input to help refine the Purpose and Need statement, draft the project Goals and Objectives and identify alternatives to be considered.
The Evaluate phase will then take the broad range of alternatives developed in the Understand phase and screen them in two steps. First, the alternatives will be screened against the project Purpose and Need. Then, the alternatives that “pass” the first screen will go through a more detailed evaluation against a set of criteria. The results will be published in a Draft Tier 1 EIS that will be available for public review. Finally, in the Recommend phase, ODOT will work with the public to identify a preferred alternative and prepare a Final Tier 1 EIS.
More information
For more information, visit www.OregonPassengerRail.org or contact Jyll Smith, ODOT Stakeholder Engagement Strategist, (503) 986-3985, info@oregonpassengerrail.org.
