Comments on: News Round-Up: 66 days

By: Chris Stefan

Chris Stefan — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:52:29 +0000

Yes, the Western route through the Siskiyous serves more of the population of Southern Oregon and isn’t clogged with freight traffic. Unfortunately maintenance on the line has been poor and the track is in horrible shape.

Any true high-speed rail (150 mph+) between Eugene and Red Bluff would be very expensive for little benefit.

By: Oran

Oran — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:43:09 +0000

There’s a web page on improving passenger rail service between Oregon and California suggesting a more direct route through the mountains that modern trainsets can handle well and possible overnight sleeper trains.

It gets technical with calculations on how much time can be saved with the route and what’s possible with the latest rail technology.

http://zierke.com/shasta_route/

By: lloyd

lloyd — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:23:07 +0000

Eugene – Redding will not happen in the lifetime of any of the readers of this blog, or their children.
Seattle to Eugene is eminently doable if the political will and leadership are there. Vancouver to Seattle presents some logistical challenges both in BC and in WA where the current roadbed runs along salt water. Moving HSR ROW inland will bring out the NIMBYs like a swarm of gnats in May, but to get running time to 2.5 hours will require a new allignment.

By: geekgirl

geekgirl — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:47:48 +0000

Yeah, local transit connections for sure, especially down south. Portland may be way ahead of Seattle in terms of light rail, but the rest of the state is a different world. And I don’t even mean eastern Oregon. For example, I regularly travel down to Oregon to see my parents and prefer to take the train. But in two weeks I’m driving down for my little sister’s graduation because my folks are too busy with that to drive over from the coast and get me at the train station in Eugene. I’d take a bus, but there’s only one daily bus over to the coast and the timing is all wrong for southbound trips. I’ve never looked at the numbers, but just driving through both I can’t imagine that the Oregon coast is that much more rural than the Olympic Peninsula, but there’s way more transit here than down there.

By: eeepc

eeepc — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:38:19 +0000

Remember to take lots of pics and videos for those of us who can’t be there. ;)

By: Erik

Erik — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:38:12 +0000

Well if you ever plan to motor west,
Just take my way , that’s the highway that’s the best.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Well it winds from Chicago to LA
More than two-thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Well it goes through St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty.
You’ll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona,
Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip
And think you’ll take that California trip.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

*******************************************************

Well it goes through St. Louie, down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty.
You’ll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona,
Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Well you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

By: eeepc

eeepc — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:36:04 +0000

Suuure, a few billion dollars for high speed rail sounds like a lot of money. That is, until you remember how the state’s throwing a couple billion at a 2 mile freeway through downtown Seattle. HSR will start sounding more and more like a good deal as mega road projects are repeatedly approved.

Tacoma Narrows, 520, Alaska Way… And this is just two counties. Priorities, priorities.

By: Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:38:20 +0000

I don’t oppose it, in fact I love the idea, I’ll be going to Portland this weekend and boy would I rather that train were faster.

You also get WAY more ridership with a faster train than with the slower train. However, I still think you need strong local transit connections on both ends. We’ll be there in 15 years as you say.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:36:03 +0000

I don’t oppose it at all. I just don’t see anything like the political will without first building mass transit to more potential passengers.

By: Zach

Zach — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:49:28 +0000

It was a nice feeling yesterday, flying into town, looking down as the pilot circled into our landing pattern, and seeing two ST trainsets being tested on Central Link. We land and, as we taxi up to the gate, the people behind me are discussing options for getting out of the airport, and one guy says “Hey, in two months, I can just take Sound Transit!”

Of course it won’t run all the way to the airport until January (and judging from where the airport station is located, in a bout of sarcasm one could say that it never will reach the airport), but I’m sure they will have a bus take people that last mile.

It was cool to see trainsets from 1,000 ft up, or whatever it was…

By: andrew smith

andrew smith — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:40:50 +0000

I mean elevated options for the bel-red section. I have heard they want to at-grade that whole thing to save money.

By: Zed

Zed — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:37:55 +0000

One.

By: alexjonlin

alexjonlin — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:32:29 +0000

And this is awesome:http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h263/firstcultural/rail/sample090314.png
I know, a lot of it is fantasy, but it’s still very cool.

By: alexjonlin

alexjonlin — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:29:24 +0000

Yes but we wouldn’t do the entire system in the first phase, just like CAHSR will have extension via the Inland Empire to San Diego, and up to Sacramento. But I think we should get the speed. Sure, right now it’s a fantasy, but in 15 or 20 years it could be a reality. It’s as if everyone here opposes real HSR…

By: DPR

DPR — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:25:30 +0000

Speaking of car lengths, in the picture from the earlier post captioned “Slack Action,” is that one Link “car” or two?

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:21:57 +0000

He said to Bellevue’s city council…

Just like the elevated viaduct isn’t an option for Nickels.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:17:16 +0000

You just said Vancouver to Eugene, not Seattle to Portland…

By: andrew smith

andrew smith — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:13:01 +0000

It is to sound transit:
http://www.soundtransit.org/x8967.xml

That’s a lot of elevated options. All I’m saying is that there are a lot of ways to improve reliability.

By: marcus

marcus — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:02:52 +0000

Wow! I’m so excited. Thanks alot for the news. YAY!

By: justin

justin — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:55:12 +0000

Elevated through Bel-Red has never been an option at least to Bellevue’s city council. The major crossings may get an underpass/overpass of some sort.