OLYMPIA – Passenger rail is one step closer to seeing major improvements in Washington state with HB 1837 passing the House. Sponsored by Rep. Julia Reed (D-Seattle) the bill establishes establishes target goals for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for minimum trip times, the number of roundtrips per day, on-time performance, improvements to first- and last-mile connections, and emissions reduction for Amtrak Cascades service between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia.
“This legislation came about after hearing from constituents involved with the Rail Can’t Wait Campaign – including Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Climate Rail Alliance, Solutionary Rail, and other environmental and transportation organizations” said Rep. Reed. “Improving our rail service will reduce the number of cars and traffic bottlenecks along our major corridors and help reduce traveler stress and environmental impacts with less time idling in traffic. It’s too important not to get this done.”
The legislation also requires WSDOT to prioritize these target goals as it conducts project development work and provide legislative updates annually on progress working towards the target goals. The agency must also report on any obstacles standing in the way of successful implementation.
“We deserve reliable train service in the Pacific Northwest. By setting and tracking ambitious goals, the legislature and WSDOT can truly partner to get us one step closer to making that happen,” said Rep. Reed.
The bill passed with a vote of 68 to 29 and now moves onto the Senate for consideration.