Legislature reexamines extending route to take riders to the capital; Portland City Council delays Southwest Corridor Plan.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
A plan to alleviate traffic congestion on I-5 between Portland and Salem has reappeared on the state legislature’s docket.
The Portland Tribune reported on the renewed call for a Portland-Salem passenger-rail line:
“I think it will happen,” says Dan McFarling of Aloha, president of the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (known as AORTA). “As time marches on we’re going to realize more and more the need to rely on rail transport to move people and freight, because rail is far more efficient in terms of energy and the environment. It’s actually the only way to go in the future.”
WES (known as the Westside Express Service) began operating in February 2009. WES trains run every 30 minutes from about 5:30 to 10 a.m. and again from 3:30 to 8 p.m. on weekdays. It takes about 27 minutes to make the trip from Wilsonville to Beaverton. The train doesn’t run on weekends.
In Portland, the city council is delaying a $650,000 Southwest Corridor Plan to allow for more public involvement.
Portland Tribune had that story as well:
The planning process being overseen by Metro, the elected regional government, envision some form of high-capacity transit in the corridor between the southern edge of downtown Portland to Tigard and Tualatin. The plan is intended to improve transportation options and spur redevelopment along the route, where traffic congestion is a serious and growing problem. Transit options include a light-rail line and various forms of bus rapid transit.
The council considered a resolution last Wednesday that would transfer $500,000 general fund dollars to Metro and commit an additional $150,000 in city staff work to the project. The City Council already has approved the spending, but needs to authorize an Intergovernmental Agreement with Metro about the scope of the work.
