High Speed Rail and Amtrak News

[EastPDX]

.... administration on new/improved roads only at places that will bring us new jobs/employments centers for new income tax generation (Springwater/Damascus/Astoria/Coos Bay/etc.) then we can have a higher percentage of the new dollars for HSR.

Getting Oregon and Washington to agree to the rail set and route is priority one for the PDX to SEA corridor. Do we only average 110 mph or do we design and plan for much higher speeds? Do we follow the California model and work and plan along their timeline?

Thank God more and more people are understanding that the Rose Quarter truly needs to be our rail intersection for Oregon (Trails End Transit Station please!). The most important and most expensive section on the Oregon side is from the Columbia River to a new HSR Station. Without this being done first and right the route South isn't even worth worrying about. Moving our main rail station to the East Side will also support a future East/West commuter and HSR to points East.

I hope we get the critical "North Portland" piece done right so that the rest of our section of a WA/OR/CA HSR corridor is so easy and obvious that everything falls into place because the money we spend now will have been spent the most efficiently.

Setting up good commuter rail to Salem/Eugene/McMinnville should come before or during HSR investment South of Portland.

Planning and land purchases for a true HSR route from the WA to CA borders should be the goal of the State of Oregon.

HSR supports our need to lower our carbon footprint; reduce our addiction to oil from nations that don't always agree with our democratic values; support our land use goals since the 1970's of saving forests and farmlands; gives us a better chance to retain our current employee base and to bring in new forward thinking employers; give employees and tourists choices on how to get around our great state and region.

Again, do the critical "North Portland" section right and the rest will follow easier.

Ray Whitford