2020 Oregon State Rail Plan

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2020 Oregon State Rail Plan OREGON STATE RAIL PLAN An Element of the Oregon Transportation Plan Adopted September 18, 2014 Revised August 13, 2020 THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Plan development was supported by five Technical Memorandums that served as background for the document. A copy of the 2020 Oregon State Rail Plan and the Technical Memorandums, which reflect the latest information at the time of their development, can also be accessed at ODOT’s Statewide Policy Plans website and include: • Freight and Passenger System Inventory • Needs Assessment: Oregon’s Economy • Needs Assessment: Passenger Rail • Needs Assessment: Freight Rail • Investment Program Technical Report Oregon Statewide Policy Plans: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Planning/Pages/Plans.aspx#OSRP. To obtain additional copies of this document contact: Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Transportation Development Division, Planning Section 555 13th Street NE, Suite 2 Salem, OR 97301-4178 (503) 986-4121 Copyright 2020 by the Oregon Department of Transportation Permission is given to quote and reproduce parts of this document if credit is given to the source. A copy of the draft as the Oregon Transportation Commission adopted is on file at the Oregon Department of Transportation. Limited editorial changes for consistency and formatting have been made in this document. Oregon Transportation Commission Catherine Mater, Chair Tammy Baney David Lohman Susan Morgan Alando Simpson* *Current OTC Members: Bob Van Brocklin, Chair, Julie Brown, Martin Callery, Sharon Smith, Alando Simpson Other Elements of the State Transportation Plan • Aviation System Plan • Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan • Freight Plan • Highway Plan • Public Transportation Plan • Oregon Statewide Transportation Strategy • Transportation Options Plan • Transportation Safety Action Plan OREGON STATE RAIL PLAN Development of the Oregon State Rail Plan was a joint effort between Oregon Department of Transportation Rail and Public Transit Division and the Transportation Development Division.* Produced by: RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSIT DIVISION H.A. (Hal) Gard, Former Division Administrator Karyn Criswell, Division Administrator TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT DIVISION Jerri Bohard, Division Administrator Rail Section Stacy Snider, Former Rail Operations Manager Jennifer Sellers, Rail Operations Manager Bob Melbo, State Rail Planner Planning Section Erik Havig, Planning Section Manager Amanda Pietz, Former Transportation Planning Unit Manager Michael Rock, Transportation Planning Unit Manager Roseann O’Laughlin, Oregon State Rail Plan Manager Cole Grisham, Senior Transportation Planner Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Mike Fischer, Project Manager With JLA and Associates and HDR Engineering Photos provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation, David Astle and the Port of Coos Bay. This project was funded in part by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. D.O.T. * The Oregon Transportation Commission revised the Oregon State Rail Plan in 2020 to incorporate updated technical and program information. OREGON STATE RAIL PLAN AN ELEMENT OF THE OREGON TRANSPORTATION PLAN Adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission September 18, 2014 Amended August 13, 2020 2020 Amendment Prepared by the ODOT Transportation Planning Unit Oregon Department of Transportation FINAL This page intentionally left blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................1 1 The Role of Rail in Statewide Transportation ........................................................................19 Oregon’s Multimodal Transportation Goals ......................................................................19 The Role of Rail in Oregon’s Multimodal Transportation System .......................................................................................................22 Institutional Structure of Rail Programs in Oregon ...........................................................22 Oregon’s Funding and Financing Authority ......................................................................26 2 The Existing Rail System in Oregon .......................................................................................31 Description and Inventory ..................................................................................................31 Passenger Rail Service Objectives and Evaluation ............................................................54 Current Rail Funding .........................................................................................................62 3 Rail System Issues and Opportunities.....................................................................................67 Trends and Forecasts ..........................................................................................................67 Rail Service Needs and Opportunities ...............................................................................84 4 The State’s Rail Service and Investment Program ..............................................................109 State Rail Plan Vision Statement and Goals ....................................................................109 Benefits of Rail Project Types ..........................................................................................120 Rail Policies and Strategies ..............................................................................................123 Passenger and Freight Rail Investment ............................................................................133 5 Coordination, Review and Next Steps ...................................................................................141 Project Public Involvement Plan ......................................................................................141 Public Agency Coordination ............................................................................................143 Rail Plan Steering Committee ..........................................................................................144 Public Review and Comments .........................................................................................145 Steps Following Plan Adoption .......................................................................................145 Appendix A — Passenger Rail Definitions ...............................................................................149 Appendix B — Oregon State Rail Plan Steering Committee Members ...............................151 Appendix C — Rail Needs List, Part 1 and 2 ..........................................................................153 Appendix D — Findings of Compliance with Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goals ............165 List of Tables and Figures Tables Table 1: Rail Investment Decision-Making Framework .........................................................13 Table 2: Snapshot of Oregon’s Multimodal Transportation System .......................................22 Table 3: Connect Oregon Rail Funding History .....................................................................27 Table 4: Freight Railroads Serving Oregon ............................................................................33 Table 5: Class I Railroad Operating Characteristics in Oregon .............................................37 Table 6: Non-Class I Railroads in Oregon, Ranked by Revenue, 2017 ..................................39 Table 7: Major Rail Yards and Terminals in Oregon .............................................................42 Table 8: Oregon Amtrak Stations and Services ......................................................................53 Table 9: WES Ridership, System Characteristics and Performance FY 2009-2018 ...............54 Table 10: Amtrak Cascades On-Time Performance by Quarter (October 2016-September 2018) ..............................................................................57 Table 11: Recent Oregon Rail Program Funding, 2019-2021.................................................63 Table 12: Statewide Commodity Flows by Mode ...................................................................77 Table 13: Summary of Non-Class I Railroad Conditions .......................................................88 Table 14: Rail Lines at Risk for Abandonment 2019-2025 ....................................................93 Table 15: Rail Investment Decision-Making Framework .....................................................114 Table 16: Quantitative Evaluation Factors ............................................................................115 Figures Figure 1: Rail System in Oregon ..............................................................................................4 Figure 2: Intercity Rail Service in Oregon ................................................................................7 Figure 3: Oregon’s Integrated Transportation Planning Process ............................................20 Figure 4: Rail System in Oregon ............................................................................................36 Figure 5: Freight Railroad Vertical Clearance Restrictions ....................................................46 Figure 6: Intercity Rail Service in Oregon ..............................................................................50 Figure 7: Amtrak Cascades Ridership, 1994-2017 .................................................................56 Figure 8: Amtrak Cascades On-Time Performance in the Eugene-Portland Corridor (January 2011-December 2017) ...............................................................................58
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