Solutionary Rail, as part of the Rail Can't Wait Campaign, is thrilled to announce that our bill, Establishing intercity passenger rail improvement priorities, has passed the Washington State House! Check out our Press Release celebrating how the bill will implement long-awaited improvements (that are affordable and achievable!) to Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service.
Take Action Update for April 11, 2025
After approval in the WA House of Representatives last month, our bill ESHB 1837—Establishing Intercity Passenger Rail Improvement Priorities—has now passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee!
Now, to move it to the full Senate floor, all we need is to get it "pulled" through the Senate Rules Committee.
We need to apply significant grassroots pressure to move it out of Rules by Tuesday, 4/15 and onto the Senate floor for a vote.
We are asking all in Washington State to take one or more of the following actions:
1. Write to all Democratic members of the Senate Rules Committee, asking them to "Pull ESHB 1837 from Senate Rules to the Floor Calendar." (By tradition, bill pull requests are made by party members of the prime sponsor of the proposed legislation.)
Email Addresses for Democratic Senate Rules Committee members: (copy and paste into an email)
<[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Sample Text (thank you to our allies at Climate Rail Alliance)
Letter with Sample messaging from the Rail Can't Wait Campaign
2. Is your senator on the Senate Rules Committee? Write to them as their constituent, asking that they "Help pull ESHB 1837 from Senate Rules to the floor calendar.”
Find out if your senator is on the Rules Committee with this roster.
(Please uncheck the boxes for your Reps - they've already passed the bill).
The Urbanist published a piece on the bill being passed by the House.
TALKING POINTS:
When communicating with lawmakers on the bill, add a couple reasons that are important to you, such as:
*I value making excellent improvements to our passenger train service because it would be so much better if it was on time, faster, and more frequent. My family travels to xyx and cutting off an hour of that travel time would be wonderful.
*My kids would like to meet their grandparents on time and not late. This bill sets a goal for on-time reliability.
*Our region expects 3-4 million more people by 2050, and we need our rail alternative to help take the pressure off our highways.
*For the 25% of Washingtonians who don’t drive, this is an important bill for mobility justice.
*This bill is very popular - with over 1000 people signing in Pro in the House Transportation committee and 1200 in the Senate Transportation committee.
*The bill carries no fiscal note - it reaffirms goals set by the legislature in the past for great service which we badly need. We can fund projects in phases over time.
*This policy bill establishes improvement goals for the Amtrak Cascades passenger train service which will help our state in the coming years as we expect millions more people.
*More people choosing the train will help decongest our highways.
*This bill will help us meet our goals for reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
*ESHB 1837 will be good for local economies along the corridor and for the whole state.
An easy way to Take Action is on the Take Action website.
Learn More
Check out the Rail Can't Wait Campaign's video explaining the vision and background for the bill, comparing current and planned Amtrak Cascades service levels with those that the bill would require, and identifying some of the infrastructure improvements that could help Cascades service meet the criteria established by the bill.
Read our Q+A on the bill HERE.
Thank you to Rep. Reed and others for their leadership!
Showing 2 reactions