There’s some serious talk about bringing passenger rail service back to Baker City, but will Bend ever see the return of passenger trains? That seems about as probable as finding Amelia Earhart alive.
A story on OPB yesterday said Amtrak is considering a proposal to restore passenger service to Baker City. The Pioneer Route used to run from Seattle to Portland and thence to Boise by way of Pendleton and Baker City, but cash-strapped Amtrak discontinued it for financial reasons in 1997.
The locals in Baker City see the restoration of passenger train service as a key to reviving their town. “Tourism has become a very important part of the economic commerce of Baker County,” Debbi Bainter, executive director of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce, told OPB. “Ultimately, I think [rail service] will be another way to link a mode of transportation that’s a little historic with the historic town, and we are known very much for the history in our area.”
Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer joined forces with Republican Rep. Greg Walden to urge Amtrak to study reviving the Pioneer Route, OPB said, and Amtrak is expected to issue a report later this year. Ultimately it would be up to Congress to decide whether to fund restoration of train service.
Bend hasn’t had passenger rail service for decades. As far as The Eye can figure out, the last time a passenger train pulled into Bend was in September of 2006, when the Portland Rail Museum organized a steam train excursion from Portland through the Deschutes River gorge to Bend and back. There’s an account of that journey, with lots of photos, here.
To get aboard a passenger train now Bendites have to drive to Chemult, 70 miles south of town. And it doesn’t look like that will change anytime in the foreseeable future.
According to a report on the City of Bend website: “The feasibility of extending AMTRAK service to the Bend area was analyzed during the development of the 1992 Oregon Rail Passenger Policy Plan. The study concluded it would be impractical to provide passenger service to Bend. … The Oregon Rail Plan does not currently identify any future plans for passenger rail service serving the Bend Metropolitan planning area.”
It’d be nice to be able to board a train in Bend and ride over to the valley and Portland and on up to Seattle, but it looks like that’s not going to happen. Still, it also would be fun to drive to Portland and hop a train for a leisurely, scenic jaunt to Baker City and Boise.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2009.
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AMTRAK could make and save millions of dollars and provide additional jobs. Folks would rail rather than fly or drive – putting profits in the ATRAK purse, saving at the gas tank and our environment. Come on folks… call/write/e-mail your reps and AMTRAK – let them know you’d use the rail if it was available. We need rail going N-S and E-W through Central OR!
When’s the last time you rode Amtrak, HBM. The service SUCKS! It’s often hours late, either due to mechanical or because it has to yield the track to the actual revenue generating, freight hauling trains.
The Oregon Trunk line is a slow and twisty canyon railroad. It serves Redmond, Madras, Maupin and the Columbia Gorge cities. The train would have to go 100 miles east of Portland then follow the Deschutes River for another 152 miles into Bend. This trip, 252 miles from Portland to Bend, would be 8 hours minimum under perfect running conditions. Most likely 10-12 hours.
If people in Bend won’t wait 1-2 minutes for a train to cross the street (they turn around or stupidly drive around the gates) they certainly won’t sit on a train for 8-10 hours.
Bend’s regular passenger service back in the day was 1 coach at the rear of a freight train anyway.
Scott
You’re right. I have taken AMTRAK once! It was late! It was over-priced! The service was horrible! Driving is just as fast, if not faster, less expensive, and the ride in my car is a lot smoother than the jolting and jostling on poorly maintained tracks destroyed by overloaded freight haulers.
Europe and the Orient invest in their rail infrastructure. We shut ours down and convert it to bike trails.
“When’s the last time you rode Amtrak, HBM.”
For a period several years ago, my wife had to occasionally attend meetings in Seattle and I’d go along with her. We’d drive to Portland and take the Amtrak Cascades up to Seattle. It was a very pleasant way to travel — much more relaxing (and safer) than driving up I-5 — although one time we did experience a delay of a couple of hours because of some kind of mechanical breakdown. If you absolutely have to get to your destination on time I can’t recommend Amtrak, but if you’re not in a hurry it’s a nice experience. At least it was on that route.
PS: I used to ride Amtrak all the time when I was on the East Coast. The trains weren’t exactly comfortable but they were pretty consistently on time. Of course that was 30 or so years ago.
Stephen Cramer is right: The Europeans have us beat to hell when it comes to rail travel (among many other things).