November 30, 2023
Last Chance to Join Us at the Passenger Rail Winter Gathering
The just-announced new Cascades trains won't be running in time for the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Gathering, but don't miss the event!
Six daily roundtrip trains will operate between Seattle and Portland
Just in time for the holidays, WSDOT and ODOT are starting two additional Amtrak Cascades daily roundtrips between Seattle and Portland. Beginning Monday, Dec. 11, more trains will run in both directions – for a total of 12 trains every day between the two most popular cities on the route.
The new schedule will see trains departing Seattle at 5:52 a.m. and Portland at 6:45 a.m. The latest trains between the two cities will leave at 7:25 p.m. from Portland and 7:50 p.m. from Seattle. Station stops between the two cities include Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia/Lacey, Centralia, Kelso/Longview, and Vancouver, Washington. Other routes serve stations south from Portland into Oregon and north of Seattle into Canada.
Dec. 11 also brings changes to the existing schedules. The northbound morning train from Eugene will leave later in the morning and allow for continuous travel on the same train all the way to Seattle. Later morning departures also will occur on trains leaving in both directions between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. Afternoon trains will depart earlier from Canada to Seattle and from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver.
Tickets for the newly added trains will be available on Dec 1 at AmtrakCascades.com. Customers are encouraged to book early, especially for the holidays, with special discounts available for children, students, seniors, military and groups.
GNWPRS Winter Passenger Rail Gathering, Centralia, WA, December 9, 2023
Greater Northwest Winter Gathering and Annual Meeting for AAWA, AORTA, AANW and the Rail Passengers Association NW Division, hosted by All Aboard Washington, The Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates, All Aboard Northwest, and the Northwest Region of the Rail Passengers Association.
Why High-Tech Driving Doesn't Solve Traffic, and Why a Robust Rail Network is a Better Alternative
Peter Norton, Ph.D, will be giving a presentation about why improvements to automobile technology can’t solve the fundamental underlying problems of a highly car-dependent society, based on research from his books Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving and Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. Following will be a presentation by Meredith Richards about how Virginia has discovered rail’s ability to increase transportation capacity at a fraction of the cost of continued roadbuilding.
Saturday, December 9, 2023, 10 am - 3:45 pm PT
Centralia Depot and on Zoom
Keynote Speakers
Peter Norton Ph. D, is the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City (MIT Press), and of Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving (Island Press, 2021).He is associate professor of history in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia, where he teaches history of technology, social dimensions of engineering, research, and professional ethics.
Meredith Richards is President of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute, Board Chair of the Rail Passengers Association, and former President of Virginians for High Speed Rail. She has a long history in rail advocacy and community involvement, including serving on the Charlottesville City Council and over 30 years involvement in public boards and commissions relating to transportation planning, municipal government, economic development and land use.
Additional Sessions
- Next-Generation Passenger Rail Equipment and Schedule
- More Trains and Funding: FRA Grant Opportunities, Long-Distance Study, Rail Projects
- 2024 State Legislative Agendas
- Transportation Equity and Accessibility
- Dreams Into Reality: Building Coalitions, Creating Effective Community Outreach
More details available at the GNWPRS website.