WSDOT's comment period is over, but our organizing continues.  Let's build a groundswell of support - among legislators and policymakers, organizations, media, train riders, and more.

RSVP to join our Organizing Call this week, to restore a higher speed vision for the Amtrak Cascades.  

Tuesday, April 23rd

5pm

RSVP Below to get the Zoom Link

On this call, we will discuss breaking into teams to do outreach to media, policymakers, legislators, organizations, train riders, and even the FRA.  There is a place for everyone - and we will all benefit when we can comfortably and efficiently travel via rail, up and down the N-S western Washington corridor!

What's This About?

• From 1991 to 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation promised faster train service between Seattle and Portland in 2.5 hours and Seattle-Vancouver, BC in 2.7 hrs. Integral to these improvements in speed and frequency would be new dedicated passenger track, allowing for speeds up to 110mph and 95% on time performance. 

• Rail planners were confident these improvements would make rail competitive with driving, in order to get drivers out of cars, off highways and onto tracks, to relieve congestion and make a significant difference in GHG emissions.

• Today, however, WSDOT is watering down plans for Amtrak Cascades, and abandoning trip time goals and dedicated passenger track, dooming the N-S passenger rail system to irrelevancy. 

• We are calling on WSDOT to recommit in its Service Development Plan (SDP) to faster travel times and infrastructure improvements, to achieve long-overdue goals of getting travelers off highways, in a time frame that matters for our climate. 

RSVP Below to get the Zoom Link