Re: New Tri-Met RDCs
Author: espee2472
Date: 07-23-2017 - 16:41
Erik H. Wrote:
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> JOHN Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What about the WES extension to Amtrak Station
> at Salem?
>
> 1. Involves Union Pacific, not going to happen
> without hundreds of millions of dollars.
> 2. Involves building new railroad track - no
> money for it. (The OE and UP don't have a current
> connection, aside from the Salem interchange track
> that is the wrong direction and involves two 5 MPH
> curves.)
> 3. TriMet can't unilaterally build outside its
> own district (Wilsonville's SMART pays TriMet some
> $500,000 a year to run WES into Wilsonville);
> Marion County has **ZERO** interest in paying for
> a train into its county.
> 4. Cost to upgrade the Oregon Electric is in the
> hundreds of millions at a minimum. Look at the
> "Transportation Grand Bargain" that had to cut
> numerous of far more vital projects.
> 5. ODOT has too much on its plate. And it still
> can't act without money, which the Legislature
> won't provide, because it is cutting left and
> right (for example, state government workers no
> longer get free bus passes in Salem.)
> 6. There were already strong fears that the State
> was going to kill off the Amtrak Cascade trains
> south of Portland account pathetically low
> ridership (even after a decade of operation and
> millions poured into it, the average daily
> ridership per train fills up about two of the nine
> coaches.)
>
> Bottom line - if you want WES to Salem, those
> Cherriots and SMART buses that run between
> Wilsonville and Salem need to be filled up, along
> with Amtrak Cascades - 100% load factor. When
> you drive I-5, you are ACTIVELY opposing it. And
> every day, 80,000 plus Oregonians ACTIVELY oppose
> it (and that's not counting traffic on 99E, 99W,
> River Road, and Wallace Road), while maybe 200-300
> ACTIVELY support it. We're a democracy, what does
> 80,000 no votes compared to 300 yes votes mean?
where's the horse & buggy parked?