Amtrak has lengthened most schedules between Seattle and Portland and changed departure times on some trains. These changes will be in effect until late summer. This is being done to accommodate major BNSF track and signal projects that are funded by the $800+ million in federal higher speed rail grants. The work will eventually allow two more daily Amtrak Cascades round-trips between Seattle and Portland, faster running times and better on-time reliability. The added trips are scheduled for 2017 but All Aboard Washington thinks at least one trip needs to begin sooner and will be working to see if we can make that a reality.
Be sure to consult the current schedules by checking Amtrak.com. For a summary of the changes here is a PDF from the AmtrakCascades.com website: http://www.amtrakcascades.com/images/AmtrakCascadesPSN0313-45.pdf


Presentations from March 2 rail advocates conference
Here are the slide presentations from our main speakers at the recent rail advocates conference on March 2 in Tukwila. The three organizations coming together for the conference were:
The theme of our conference was:
Northwest Corridor – Amtrak Cascades – Building Higher Speed Rail Infrastructure & Service Improvements
Our speakers with slide presentations were:
At the conference, AAWA presented its Tom Martin award to Paula Hammond, just-retired WSDOT secretary, for her strong ongoing support for intercity passenger rail service and its expansion and improvement.