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Rail advocates say Amtrak Cascades needs capital investment and infrastructure upgrades for faster, reliable service

2112248 · January 14, 2025

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Summary

Multiple witnesses told lawmakers that new trainsets cannot achieve advertised speeds or on‑time performance without targeted capital investments in corridors and that the governor’s budget allocates operating and planning dollars but lacks sufficient capital for Amtrak Cascades infrastructure

Rail advocates and transportation commentators testified that the Amtrak Cascades service needs prioritized capital investment to improve trip times and on‑time reliability.

Leah White and Tom White (separately) and other rail proponents said the governor’s budget includes operating program language and an ultra‑high‑speed program allocation, but that the currently operating Amtrak Cascades service lacks capital investment for track and signaling upgrades that would support faster and more reliable service. Tom White said ultra‑high‑speed program funding (he noted $5,000,000 in the bill for that program) may produce service decades from now, but current Cascades on‑time performance was 47% in 2023 and needs immediate investment.

Witnesses called for statutory language and budget prioritization that explicitly directs capital investment to the Cascades corridor to enable higher speeds and on‑time performance, and they expressed willingness to work with committee members on program language. Testimony was recorded for committee consideration; no votes were taken during the hearing.