[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6349212,"mediaKeyId","2239177-b2a066086669c87d32d2abf5cb1a3f96","parentId",2239177,"title","PNWER outlines \"high-performance rail\" strategy to speed freight, expand passenger service in Pacific Northwest","audioSeconds",2301,"startMs",3000,"endMs",2304000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2239177-b2a066086669c87d32d2abf5cb1a3f96&start=3&end=2304","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2239177-b2a066086669c87d32d2abf5cb1a3f96/thumbnail_3000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6349212/Oregon/PNWER-outlines-high-performance-rail-strategy-to-speed-freight-expand-passenger-service-in-Pacific-Northwest","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6349212-30d921d350a5230ff5de5e9197117fe7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775542688&Signature=OqTmUo5AKUbTN1WyfbUuZ4WQom7gPox3oTh3GrcbtK9ZlTPXMxCyplly5Uq6gmIDQFaSeXQy-PoODABySFXjniYxAqj74QqRTF3ON81TJhlLheCdCdNiTdZWClPaeSRKvmeP9ypq0nHhm7sF3HY1y1-KkvuLnDnyGTWXP9quHaGznzro99tJx2ZisnblTeDUY9VTnX8tw1g2elmk2a7hkBBdd6Q-M2mYi9STDEwXtY1Di3cLSg4HW6i0V4EBYagvQXlLhFIhyJGkm1~NT-EfHwjzjQigRCnurLvQIuMWihCbr-xJC2NcGbZhJZkyRohjQIueS6pzlwgCv7DEt8OUUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Oregon","date","2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","article","Representatives of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) presented an overview of “high‑performance rail” and regional supply‑chain planning to the Oregon Joint Committee on Transportation during an informational session. PNWER regional infrastructure director Bruce Agnew and high‑performance rail program manager Tom Lang outlined a multi‑state approach to identifying projects, securing federal grants and coordinating freight and passenger investments.

PNWER framed the work as a supply‑chain and corridor strategy that pairs public funding with private investment. “We will also be identifying transportation projects to reduce supply chain costs,” Bruce Agnew said, arguing that lower transportation costs can help dampen inflation. PNWER described a new Build Northwest Council of transportation committee members from the five Northwest states and invited Oregon legislators to PNWER summits in Bellevue and Portland this year.

Tom Lang described why rail matters for freight and passenger mobility and the technical steps that increase corridor capacity and reliability. “Rail is the most efficient mode of land transportation,” Lang said, noting that a gallon of fuel moves far more tonnage by rail than by truck and that electrified yards and hydrogen technology could enable near‑zero emission supply chains. Lang highlighted three “high performance rail” interventions: grade separations and crossing eliminations, siding extensions and turnouts to allow trains to pass, and bundled corridor projects that raise speeds and capacity.

PNWER and presenters cited recent and proposed projects in Oregon as examples: the Harrisburg rail reconstruction (which increased allowable speeds on the Union Pacific mainline), the North Portland Junction and Peninsula Junction projects, the Coos Bay rail line upgrades led by the Port of Coos Bay, and planned work including the Eugene layover siding project and crossovers that would raise speeds near northwest Portland freight yards. Lang said some projects have a mix of state, federal and private funding—citing, for example, Connect Oregon awards and funding contributions from Union Pacific and Amtrak on prior junction projects.

The presenters described programming and financing tools that state and local leaders can use to assemble projects: discretionary USDOT grants such as CRISI and INFRA, the Build America Bureau’s credit programs including TIFIA and the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program, and state matching programs including Connect Oregon. Agnew said PNWER’s accelerator has received federal support and that PNWER is proposing a Northwest Supply Chain DOT Research Project to assemble multimodal trade profiles and identify investments across I‑5, I‑84 and the Columbia‑Snake River system.

Private‑sector and short‑line perspectives were represented by Ross Lane, board president of the Oregon Rail Users League and assistant vice president for government affairs at Genesee & Wyoming, who described short lines as the “first mile, last mile” of the supply chain and urged expanded public‑private partnerships and grant funding to complete projects otherwise unaffordable to private owners.

PNWER stressed the political and practical advantages of coordinated, multi‑state grant requests. Agnew told legislators PNWER will coordinate with governors’ offices, state DOTs and the Northwest congressional delegation to align requests and messaging ahead of reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs in 2026.

The presentation closed with a note on Union Station in Portland: PNWER and partners said station improvements and track work at Union Station would be a high‑performance rail project that also supports downtown transit‑oriented redevelopment and could involve public‑private financing and a Build America Bureau loan.

PNWER invited committee members to a Greater Northwest Rail Summit in Portland in October and encouraged ongoing coordination between Oregon, neighboring states and private railroads.

Ending: Presenters said federal grant and credit programs are available now but urged legislators to advance coordinated state strategies and local match financing to capture the funds. PNWER staff offered to follow up with agency and congressional offices on loan and grant packaging for projects such as the Coos Bay corridor.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee On Transportation Feb 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) presented an overview of high‑performance rail and regional supply‑chain planning to the Oregon Joint Committee on Transportation, urging coordinated public‑private investments to reduce transportation costs, speed trains and expand passenger service.","taxTitle","Transportation, Joint, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",18412,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6349207,"Joint committee hears support for HB 3231, HB 3233 to expand passenger rail planning and regional coordination",2797,2536000,5333000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2239177-b2a066086669c87d32d2abf5cb1a3f96&start=2536&end=5333","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2239177-b2a066086669c87d32d2abf5cb1a3f96/thumbnail_2536000.jpg","/articles/6349207/Oregon/Joint-committee-hears-support-for-HB-3231-HB-3233-to-expand-passenger-rail-planning-and-regional-coordination","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6349207-e426feaba2e394f6f0def882377b85b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775542688&Signature=mH0FQKcULlwt7jiaRyYgfKXwA1h4nyc3ybYKSl~qiC1DhPC8R17fvw9yj9PiRN7Ez9kMtVd8cd82MMaxfyiWwK1fbZ6Zby2bitySYjlWQsmzpNRzMaPyNT8ro9o2n~RlrOxiSMDJ5Jf75M3c~uSZFqUnDESU6pZVi4bkP6Dn~izOhTPU5jpwi0hDDuFQodzj17NeHtEhREWV8-CR~HvrEMJOHlrRPvboR8w7bOj~9tFfkK9fITgByzZBDc8bSrp~7hZM8Yjh8A8yGDjo~3PQzVe9dISbFYoYZg3MuHdg2YJeoFfJdTYUrQYJnBCoWV-3bIjPLYcpZsfbDghmHM8IqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Oregon Joint Committee on Transportation opened a public hearing on House Bill 3231 and House Bill 3233 and heard more than a dozen witnesses representing state and local government, rail advocacy organizations and residents urging legislative support for expanded passenger and regional rail planning.

Representative Nancy Nathanson, who spoke in support of HB 3233, said the measure is intended to expand and formalize multi‑state collaboration on passenger and freight rail. “This bill does not mandate any particular outcome. This bill sets the mark for working together,” Nathanson said, describing language that would allow the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to enter agreements with other public bodies and to pursue coordinated federal funding requests.

Senator Chris Gorsek and multiple public speakers said coordinated regional approaches could strengthen grant applications to the Federal Railroad Administration and other USDOT programs. John Nuxhall, president of the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA), and representatives from All Aboard Northwest and All Aboard Washington urged inclusion of Idaho and other neighboring states in regional planning as a means to restore or expand long‑distance and intercity routes.

Community testifiers focused on both broad benefits and local impacts. Matt Kraybacher and Shane Alderson, representing Baker City and Baker County resident interests, urged restoration of passenger service to Eastern Oregon and recommended adding Idaho to multi‑state discussions. Peter Fargo of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon supported HB 3231 but cautioned that capacity increases must address community impacts, including train horn noise; he described cumulative horn blasts at road crossings as a public‑health concern in Baker City.

Rail advocates and transit managers highlighted practical needs. Doug Allen and other rail advocates urged planning for equipment and capacity, asking the legislature to consider state‑owned rolling stock and spare equipment to support service. Alan Pollock, general manager of Cherriots (Salem area transit), told the committee that local transit providers must be part of planning to ensure first‑ and last‑mile connections to train stations.

ODOT public transportation division administrator Suzanne Carlson said HB 3231 would build on Oregon’s 2021 service development plan and the department’s existing reporting to the legislature. She recommended consolidating existing reports and the bills’ proposed new reporting cycles into a single biennial report to avoid duplication and to maximize staff resources. Carlson said ODOT is working with Union Pacific on corridor modeling and expects an updated prioritized project list to be completed this summer.

The hearing record included data cited by witnesses: presenters said the Amtrak Cascades is a state‑supported route costing about $18,000,000 per year in operating support for Oregon and that schedule and infrastructure changes have produced measurable ridership gains on some corridors. Testimony also referenced federal discretionary programs, including CRISI, INFRA, and federal loan programs such as TIFIA and RRIF, as tools to close financing gaps.

No committee vote was taken; the hearing provided testimony for the record. The committee chair closed the public hearing at the end of the session and invited written comments to be submitted online within 48 hours.

Ending: Witnesses asked the legislature to fund state match and staff capacity to pursue federal grants and to prioritize coordinated, regional strategies to restore and expand passenger rail service.","The Oregon Joint Committee on Transportation held a public hearing on HB 3231 (passenger rail planning and capacity strategies) and HB 3233 (multi‑state coordination). Legislators, transit authorities, rail advocates and residents testified in support; ODOT recommended streamlining overlapping reporting requirements.","actionData","errors"]

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PNWER outlines "high-performance rail" strategy to speed freight, expand passenger service in Pacific Northwest

Joint committee hears support for HB 3231, HB 3233 to expand passenger rail planning and regional coordination