Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor
Regional Presentation
Scott L. Witt Kelly Taylor
Director, State Rail & Marine Office Administrator, Rail Division
Washington Department of Transportation Oregon Department of Transportation
Paula Hammond Steve Reinmuth
Secretary of Transportation Chief of Staff
Washington Department of Transportation Washington Department of Transportation
Seattle
May 27, 2009

Introduction
Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC)
Federally-designated High-speed Rail
Corridor
466-mile rail corridor
Serves 17 communities totaling 8
million people
Hosts 11 Amtrak Cascades trains
Hosts 6 Amtrak long-distance trains
Hosts 24 Sound Transit commuter
rail trains between Tacoma and
Everett (26 starting June 1)
Union Pacific Railroad’s (UP) tracks
between Eugene and Portland
BNSF Railway between Portland,
Seattle and Vancouver, BC
UP and BNSF policy toward
passenger service – “Keep Us
Whole”

Introduction
Amtrak Cascades
Jointly funded by Oregon DOT,
Washington State DOT and Amtrak
Uses Talgo, Inc. manufactured
articulated train sets
Pendular passive tilting technology
Electromotive Division (EMD) F59
locomotive
Non-powered F40 locomotive is used
as a cab car in a push-pull
configuration
Maximum of 79 miles per hour
5 inches of cant deficiency

PNWRC and Amtrak Cascades – A Brief History
1993, WSDOT was directed to develop “high-quality intercity passenger rail
service ... through incremental upgrading of the existing [Amtrak] service.”
1994 WSDOT funds 2nd Seattle-Portland round trip
1995 Oregon adds Portland-Eugene round trip
1995 Seattle-Vancouver, BC, round trip re-introduced
- First incremental improvements constructed
1997 WSDOT adds 3rd Seattle-Portland Round Trip
1999 Amtrak Cascades service debuts
1999 Seattle-Bellingham train added
2000 2nd Portland-Eugene train added
2006 4th Seattle-Portland round trip added

Annual Ridership on Amtrak Cascades
Number of Passengers
900,000
Oregon Trains
800,000 Amtrak Trains
700,000 Washington Trains
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source: WSDOT State Rail and Marine Office

Plans for the PNWRC in Washington State
WSDOT’s Long-Range Plan
Expand intercity passenger rail service to the meet the goals of:
13 round trips per day between Seattle and Portland on one-hour headways and
in a scheduled travel time of 2:30
Four round trips per day between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, on two-hour
headways and in a scheduled travel time of 2:40
Projected to have nearly 3,000,000 riders at full build-out
Estimated to cost $6.5 to $6.7 billion, (2006$)
Amtrak Cascades Projected Future Ridership
Washington Segment Only
Corridor 2004 Mid-point 2023
Seattle to Vancouver, BC 156,872 418,100 945,700
Seattle to Portland, OR 351,426 932,100 1,916,400
Portland, OR to Vancouver, BC N/A 59,900 133,200
Total 508,298 1,410,100 2,995,300
Source: Washington State Department of Transportation State Rail & Marine Office and the
unpublished Amtrak Cascades Ridership and Revenue Forecasts Technical Paper, 2004.

Plans for the PNWRC in Washington State
WSDOT’s Mid-Range Plan
Expand intercity passenger rail service to the meet the goals of:
Provide 4 options for expansion of service over the next 8 years
Most expansive option increases to 8 the round trips per day between Seattle
and Portland on two-hour headways and in a scheduled travel time of 3:25
Conservatively projected to have nearly 900,000 riders by 2017
Estimated to cost $1.5 billion (2008$)
Annual Ridership Growth by Option FY2007 vs. FY2017
Washington Segment Only
1,000,000
890,000
900,000
822,000
Riders
800,000 783,000
700,000
646,130
600,000 574,202 574,202 574,202 574,202
500,000
400,000
Option 1: Option 2: Option 3: Option 4:
FY2007 FY2017
Source: Washington State Department of Transportation State Rail & Marine Office Amtrak
Cascades Mid-Range Plan 2008.

Incrementalism through Building Blocks
WSDOT philosophy and direction:
develop “through incremental
upgrading”
Up to 20 projects grouped into three
“building block” increments
For each of three planned
increments:
Night Photo of Amtrak Cascades trainset
- Capital construction plans and cost
estimates
- Operating plan and equipment
requirements
- Ridership and revenue forecasts
Policy makers know
– How the last increment performed
– What they will get before they
choose to fund an increment
Track Laying Machine (TLM) builds track on the
PNWRC

Building Blocks – How has it been going?
Used to add three increments:
Seattle-Vancouver, BC round trip
- 2 new sidings, 1 extended siding,
new storage tracks
Seattle-Bellingham round trip
- 2 yard bypasses, 1 extended siding,
2 new receiving tracks
Amtrak Cascades train passes Titlow Crossover in
Tacoma, WA.
4th Seattle-Portland round trip
- 4 universal crossovers
Current projects will add a 5th Seattle-
Portland round trip
- Vancouver - Yard Bypass & W 39th
St Bridge
- Tacoma – Bypass of Pt. Defiance
- three universal crossover projects
Turn-out track panels being unloaded at new
Centennial Crossovers in Lacey, WA.

Corridor Speeds
Currently, maximum 79 MPH (Class 4) on the PNWRC
Highest speeds currently planned 110 MPH (Class 6)
- Passenger-only tracks
- Rural areas only
- Maintain 79 MPH in “shared” territory
- Goal is to improved average speed
Balancing Costs, Safety and Environmental Issues
with Higher Speeds
An Amtrak Cascades train speeds along Bellingham
- Tighter curves mean less right-of-way costs Bay in Bellingham, WA
- Tighter curves results in less impacts to environment
- Reduces cost of fuel: accelerating only to slow a short
time later

What is needed to achieve the service goals?
Faster, More Frequent Amtrak Cascades Service
Positive Train Control
- BNSF Communications-Based Train-
Control shows promise
- Includes System Safety Plan
- Needed for both higher speeds and
more capacity
New and More Equipment for more frequent
service and faster service
An EMD F59 Locomotive Pulls an Amtrak Cascades train set
- Tilting Train Sets at up to 8 inches cant through a 2 degree curve in Burlington, WA
deficiency
- Improved Locomotives & Technologies
Low center of gravity
Faster acceleration above 79 MPH
Locomotives on both ends of trains

Challenges and Opportunities for the PNWRC
A shared corridor and more
Integrating Operations with Partners
- BNSF Railway
- Amtrak
- Sound Transit
- State of Oregon
- Province of British Columbia
International Border
- Freight Train Inspections A BNSF Railway freight train passes Safeco Field in Seattle, WA
- Passenger Pre-clearance
U.S. Federal Funding
- $18 Million in 14 years
- Future ARRA and PRIIA Funding
A BNSF Railway freight train switches cars in Everett, WA

Washington State Funding
Past and Future
Operating
$199 Million from 1994 through 2008
$29.1 Million budgeted from 2009 to 2011
Capital
$137 Million spent from 1994 through 2008
$139 Million projected from 2008 through 2013

Pacific Northwest
Rail Corridor:
Oregon Segment
Portland to Eugene: 124 miles
Five Stations:
Portland
Oregon City
Salem
Albany
Eugene

Oregon’s Investment in Rail
Cascades Corridor investment $51m (94-08)
Freight rail grants & funds $12.5m (00-03)
Connect Oregon I & II, $102m (05-07)
State ARRA Highway Funds $17m (09)
Connect Oregon III (09)
TOTAL $183 million

Passenger Related Investment
Capital
$71.6m since 1994
13 projects
Stations, track, CTC, &
equipment
Operations
$9.5m per biennium
50% dedicated (expected
to increase to 100%)
50% general fund

Amtrak Cascades: Oregon Segment History
Trains Buses
1887 Through West Coast service begins 1994 Two round trip buses begin
1994 First Cascades round trip begins 2008 Third round trip bus begins
2000 Second Cascades round trip begins

Amtrak Cascades: Oregon Segment Ridership
Trains Buses
2 Round trips per day 3 Round trips per day
Ridership up 18% since 2007 Ridership up 48% since 2007
Ridership up 182% since 1995 Ridership up 281% since 1995

For more information on rail accountability, please contact:
Scott Witt, Director
State Rail and Marine Office Washington State
at (360) 705-6903 or WittS@wsdot.wa.gov. Department of Transportation
Kelly Taylor, Rail Division Administrator
Oregon Department of Transportation at
(503) 986-4125 or kelly.c.taylor@odot.state.or.us