BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
The recent tragedy in Philadelphia has called attention to Amtrak and the nation’s woefully underfunded rail service. Here are six facts about the Amtrak Cascades corridor between Eugene and Vancouver B.C.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Photo courtesy of Flickr: Ryan Stavely
The recent tragedy in Philadelphia has called attention to Amtrak and the nation’s woefully underfunded rail service.
Click through for six facts about the Cascades corridor between Eugene and Vancouver B.C.
1. Ridership
Photo courtesy of Flickr: ODOT
In fiscal year 2014, 782,519 people rode the Cascades, a decline of 2.5 percent over the previous year.
2. Revenue
Photo courtesy of Flickr: Cord Rodeford
in 2014, ticket revenues were $28,440,469, a decline of 2.8 percent over the previous year.
3. Safety
Photo courtesy of Flickr: Kuknauf
Amtrak expects PTC, an automated speed-limiting system that would have prevented the derailment in Philadelphia, to be implemented along the Cascades corridor by the end of the year. The upgrades are a part of an $800 million rail improvement project.
4. Expansion
Photo courtesy of Flickr: Loco Steve
By 2017, Amtrak will add two more round-trips for passengers traveling between Portland to Seattle.
5. Speed
Photo courtesy of Flickr: SounderBruce
Trains are limited to 79 miles per hour by the PTC system. The train that derailed outside of Philadelphia was traveling faster than 100 mph.
6. Popularity
The Cascades corridor is the eighth-most popular route in the country.
The most popular route is the Northeast regional, which travels from Boston to Norfolk, Virginia. No. 2 is the Acela Express, connecting Boston and Washington, D.C.
