Kcjones Wrote:
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> However...wasn't there talk at one time about running MAX down to Newberg and McMinnville?

Yeah, just what I want to ride, an urban transit vehicle with uncomfortable seats for 40 miles... Would you ride a New Flyer D40LF between Portland and McMinnville?

As for REAL intercity passenger service, it's been studied to death; I think ODOT has five or six separate passenger rail studies between Portland and McMinnville (and beyond) in the last 40 years. And guess what? Every single one of them says it's pointless. Sure, it's technically feasible, but the ridership doesn't exist and financially, you'd be better off throwing dollar bills into a bucket of gasoline.

We can't even get regular bus service on the route...if we can't be bothered to spend a couple million bucks for a few motorcoaches, what makes you think we suddenly have $500 million or more on a commuter rail line that'll cost $40-50/boarding ride to operate (WES is at $17/boarding ride) - and more importantly, who's going to pay for it? You think the Yamhill County Transit Area, an agency that buys up 20 year old worn out buses from everyone else at scrap value because they can't be bothered to write up a grant application for a new bus, is going to scrounge up the money? In a county that is run by Republicans, no less?