P&W fan Wrote:
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> Mirror Pond mentioned that the Albany project
> would get P&W trains off of the
> UP. Is P&W planning on running the Eugene
> hauler down the OE?

I have heard that there is no reason to run the Eugene Hauler down the OE, since UP is paying for the run. Why tie up the OE mainline when the train has a right on the UP (and P&W doesn't have to maintain the track)?

IMO, I'm not sure why the OE District as a through route even still exists. To me it would be more beneficial for ODOT to fund double-tracking the UP main from Portland to Eugene, give P&W rights on it, and remove much of the OE saved for what is needed for industrial spurs. In the long term, the OE as a passenger route is hardly desirable (south of Wilsonville) because it has a poor alignment in Salem and Albany, and doesn't pass through the city centers between Wilsonville and Salem that would benefit from commuter service (that the UP line does pass down the middle of).

A train that can fly through Salem or Albany on the UP in a matter of minutes...will take much longer without a complete realignment of the OE line, and removing the line from the streets. Not cheap.