Oregon Rail News: Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision Published

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 04/26/2021 11:00 AM PDT

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Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision Published

April 26, 2021

The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is published for Oregon Passenger Rail. 

We are now one step closer to improving passenger rail in Oregon. For several years, ODOT has studied ways to improve the frequency, convenience, speed and reliability of intercity passenger rail service between the Portland urban area and the Eugene-Springfield urban area. ODOT has been working with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), through a grant under its High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, to analyze and select a route, station locations and service characteristics for these improvements.

Rail FEIS

After extensive analysis and public outreach, FRA has selected Alternative 1 for the Oregon Passenger Rail alignment. This alignment follows the existing Amtrak Cascades passenger rail route and will accommodate increased passenger rail services by improving track, signal and communication infrastructure.

The Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) were issued on April 14, 2021. The FEIS describes the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives studied in the FEIS and describes proposed mitigation plans. The ROD marks the end of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process.

With the release of the FEIS and ROD, Oregon will now be eligible to compete for significant infrastructure grants to improve passenger rail service between Eugene and Portland. Because the Selected Alternative follows the existing Union Pacific (UPRR) rail line between Eugene and Portland and would be constructed mostly within existing rail right-of-way, infrastructure investments may be separated into relatively small, lower-cost elements so that ODOT could implement the Selected Alternative incrementally as funding becomes available. Additional environmental review and permitting may be required for these individual projects.  

We want to thank everyone who participated in this process and provided feedback on alignment options and what should be considered.

You can find and review the FEIS and ROD at https://www.oregon.gov/odot/RPTD/Pages/Passenger-Rail.aspx and on the FRA project website.

Health and safety are top priorities for passenger rail. Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation and Amtrak are continuing to support safe passenger rail service between Seattle and Eugene that considers Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State COVID-19 safety guidelines. Learn about how we’re keeping passenger health and safety a priority at www.amtrakcascades.com

We’re also working to expand service options soon. More information will be forthcoming on phasing and service additions.

For more passenger rail news and resources, visit ODOT’s Passenger Rail website.

Or, contact Michelle Godfrey, (503) 986-3903, michelle.d.godfrey@odot.state.or.us.