Attachment C2 

Comments Received During Public 

Comment Period 

C2A - Through individual comment I-124

This file contains images of the comments received. The comments are 

included as searchable text in Appendix C, Attachment C1, Comment and 

Response Matrix.
APPENDIX C 

Oregon Passenger Rail Project Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement 

APRIL 2021
Appendix C -Agenc and Public Comments 

Appendix C: Agency and Public Comments 
Agency Comments 

Appendix C: Agency and Public Comments 
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

REGION 10 

1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 155 

Seattle, WA 98101-3123 OFFICE OF 

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 

AND ASSESSMENT 

December 14, 2018 

Ms. Lydia Kachadoorian 

U.S. Department of Transportation Comment A-1 

Federal Railroad Administration 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Ms. Jennifer Sellers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

Rail and Public Transit Division 

Oregon Department of Transportation 

555 13th Street NE, Suite 3 

Salem, Oregon 97301-4179 

Dear Ms. Kachadoorian and Ms. Sellers: 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reviewed the Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Oregon Passenger Rail - Eugene to Po1iland Project (CEQ Number 20180245; Region 

10 EPA project number 12-0043-FRA) pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Air Act and the National 

Enviromnental Policy Act. 

The Federal Railroad Administration and Oregon Department of Transportation propose to improve 

Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service for the 125-mile segment of the federally-designated 

Pacific Northwest Rail Con-idor from Eugene-Springfield to Pmiland, Oregon.1 In addition to a No 

Action Alternative, tlu·ee action options (two alternatives) are proposed. The alternatives include 

infrastructure improvements to existing rail corridors as well as building new sections, to meet future 

demand, improve facilities, reduce journey times and improve connections with regional public transit 

services. Alternative 1, the Prefen-ed Alternative, would be constructed within and parallel to the 

existing Union Pacific Railroad alignment and would continue use of existing stations. Alternative 2 

would parallel I-5 and 1-205, requiring new track along the full aligmnent and four new stations. 

Alternative 2 with Central Albany Option would use the existing Albany station. 

We have the following comments for your consideration in preparing the Final Tier 1 EIS: 

Preferred alternative 

We support the selection of Alternative 1 as the Prefen-ed Alternative because it would maximize the use 

of existing infrastructure and stations as well as avoid "greenfield" development that would result from 

constructing a new rail con-idor with four new stations. While the scale of analysis for the Tier 1 EIS 

does not provide an exact assessment of resource impacts, it does indicate that fewer direct, indirect, and 

1 The PNRC is one of 11 Federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States. 
cumulative environmental impacts within the defined study areas would be expected with Alternative 1.2 

Alternative 1 would have fewer potential impacts to wetlands, waterways, floodplains, and biological 

resources. 

Water quality 

We appreciate that the DEIS lists all Clean Water Act Section 303(d) impaired waterbodies that would 

be affected by the project. We recommend that all potential impacts to waterbodies within the project 

area be identified and analyzed in the EIS, including those waterbodies that are not currently water 

quality impaired. This will help with analyzing potential mitigation measures. We note that the 

antidegradation provisions of the Clean Water Act apply to water bodies within the project area that 

meet water quality standards. 

Wetlands 

The DEIS estimates that, based on the Oregon Department of State Lands typical compensatory 

mitigation ratios ranging from 1 : 1 for restoration to 3: 1 for enhancement, the impacted wetland acres 

requiring mitigation could span from 16 (Alternative 1) to 618 acres (Alternative 2 with Central Albany 

Option). 

We note that the state is currently finalizing a new approach to compensatory mitigation, called the 

Aquatic Resources Mitigation Framework. This new approach will revise mitigation standards in 

Oregon to move from acreage to function-based mitigation, through the replacement of lost wetland and 

stream functions and values. Function-based wetland mitigation has been shown to create more 

successful and sustainable results. The new approach supports implementation of, and aims to align 

with, the federal rule (2008 Mitigation Rule) on compensatory mitigation and provide sustainable 

environmental benefits. The new approach to compensating for wetland and stream losses will be 

collaboratively implemented by the ODSL, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Portland District and the 

EPA, possibly as early as February 2019. Future projects requiring permits from the ODSL or the Corps 

will be expected to conform to the state's new mitigation standards. 

Wildlife linkages 

We agree, as stated on page 4-125, that a helpful strategy to avoid direct impacts to biological resources 

would be to build stream crossings as•full-span bridges. We recommend that this strategy be considered 

and applied within wildlife linkage areas and other locations where sensitive aquatic or terrestrial 

resources are crossed. We also recommend consideration of existing rail corridor infrastructure that 

could be retrofitted to provide hydrological and ecological connectivity, i.e., using oversized bottomless 

culverts, underpasses, overpasses, or specific smaller structures allowing for connectivity and species 

passage. 

Climate Adaptation 

The EPA recommends that the Final EIS include a discussion of reasonably foreseeable effects that 

changes in the climate may have on the proposed project and the project area, including its long-term 

infrastructure. This could help inform the development of measures to improve the resilience of the 

proposed project. If projected changes could notably exacerbate the environmental impacts of the 

project, the EPA recommends these impacts also be considered as part of the NEPA analysis. 

2 The Tier 1 analysis has been conducted remotely using existing data and GIS maps. Project-specific site assessments will 

occur during the Tier 2 NEPA process. 

2 
Tier 2 NEPA process 

Because any build alternative would likely be implemented incrementally (p. 4-144), we request that the 

FRA and ODOT send the subsequent Tier 2 NEPA analyses to the EPA Region IO Office to ensure 

opp01tunity for review and comment. 

We appreciate the opportunity to review the Draft EIS for the Oregon Passenger Rail Project. Please 

note that effective October 22, 2018, the EPA no longer includes ratings in our conunent letters. 

Information about this change and the EPA' s continued roles and responsibilities in the review of 

federal actions can be found on our website at: https://www.epa.gov/nepa/epa-review-process-undersection-3 09-cl ean-air-act. 

If you have questions regarding our comments, please contact Elaine Somers of my staff at 206-553-

2966 or at somers.elaine@epa.gov, or you may contact me at 206-553-1841 or at nogi.jill@epa.gov. 

Sincerely, 

cr/t� 

Jill A. Nogi�anager

Environmental Review and Sediment Management Unit 

3 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2018 10:19 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: contact info for Oregon rail project 

Can you capture this in the DEIS log? 

From: Kachadoorian, Lydia (FRA) [mailto:lydia.kachadoorian@dot.gov] 

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2018 9:20 AM 

To: Nogi, Jill 

Cc: Somers, Elaine; info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: RE: contact info for Oregon rail project 

Jill, 

We thank you and Elaine for the timely comments and find them very helpful. We will be in touch if we need 

clarification on any of the items. 

Many thanks and happy holidays. 

Sincerely, 

Lydia Kachadoorian, Registered Professional Archaeologist 15668 

Environmental Protection Specialist- Norheastern & Western Regions 

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration 

Office of Railroad Policy and Development {RPD-1), Office of Program Delivery {RPD-10) 

Environmental and Corridor Planning Division (RPD-13) 

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 

Federal Railroad Administration, 10th Floor 

55 Broadway, Room 1064-A 

Cambridge, MA 02142 

Desk: (617) 494-3989//Cell: (781) 227-0778 

Email: Lydia.Kachadoorian@dot.gov 

Rail - Moving America Forward 

The mission of the Federal Railroad Administration is to enable the safe, reliable and efficient movement of people and goods for a 

strong America, now and in the future. 

Follow FRA on Facebook and Twitter 

From: Nogi, Jill fmailto:nogi.jill@epa.gov] 

Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 5:45 PM 

To: Kachadoorian, Lydia (FRA) <lydia.kachadoorian@dot.gov>; info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Cc: Somers, Elaine <somers.elaine@epa.gov> 

Subject: FW: contact info for Oregon rail project 

1 
Dear Ms. Kachadoorian and Ms. Sellers, 

Attached please find the EPA comments on the Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS. We appreciate the opportunity to review 

and comment, in accordance with our responsibilities under NEPA and Section 309 of the Clean Air Act. If you have any 

questions or wish to speak with us about our comments, please feel free to contact Elaine Somers at 206-553-2966, or 

you may contact me at 206-553-1841. 

J ii I 

Jill A. Nogi, MPH I Manager 

Environmental Review and Sediment Management Unit 

EPA Region 10 I Ofice of Environmental Review and Assessment 

(206) 553-1841 

2 
Comment A -2 

United States Department of the Interior 

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance 

620 SW Main Street, Suite 201 

Portland, Oregon 97205-3026 

IN REPLY REFER TO 

9043.1 

ER18089 

Electronically Filed December 18, 2018 

Jennifer Sellers, ODOT Passenger Rail Program Manager 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

1110 SE Alder St. Suite 301 

Portland, OR 97241 

Subject: Tier 1 Draft EIS for Oregon Passenger Rail, Eugene to Portland, Oregon 

Dear Ms. Sellers, 

The U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) has reviewed the subject draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS). The Department provides the following comments for use in the 

development of the final EIS for this project. These comments are preliminary and can be more 

closely focused and expanded upon once a final route is selected for analysis. 

Threatened and Endangered Species 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Oregon Department of Transportation have 

proposed a 125-mile segment of a high speed rail route between Eugene/Springfield, Oregon, 

and Portland, Oregon. The two proposed routes have the potential to affect several species of 

plants, invertebrates, fish and birds listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). These species include the bull 

trout (Salvelinus confluentus), yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), streaked-horned 

lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata), Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori), 

Fender's blue butterfly (lcaricia icarioidesfender), Willamette daisy (Erigeron decumbens var. 

decumbens), Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus sulphureus ssp. Kincaidii), Bradshaw's desert parsley 

(Lomatium bradshawii), Nelson's checker-mallow (Sidalcea nelsoniana), Golden paintbrush 

(Castilleja levisecta), Water howellia (Howellia aquatilis) and their designated critical habitat. 

Both proposed routes and their construction may also affect migratory bird habitat and require 

the filling of wetland habitats. 

Section 7 of the ESA requires that all Federal agencies consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) to ensure that the actions authorized, funded, or carried out by such agencies 

do not jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened or endangered species or adversely 

modify or destroy designated critical habitat of such species. To determine the need for future 

consultation and, if necessary, to conduct the consultation, the Department recommends that: 
2 

1) the final route for the Project be surveyed by qualified biologists for listed species and 

TRS to determine occupancy of habitats being affected by construction and future 

maintenance of the infrastructure; and 

2) measures to avoid, minimize and, as appropriate, mitigate unavoidable effects to 

listed/TRS species and their habitats be developed by FRA in cooperation with the 

Service. 

Land and Water Conservation Fund 

This project has the potential to impact parks that have been funded with the Land and Water 

Conservation Fund (LWCF) state and local assistance program, Public Law 88-578; currently 

codified at 54 U.S.C. §2003 et seq. These parks cannot be converted to other than public outdoor 

recreation use unless approved by the Secretary of the Interior, delegated to the National Park 

Service (NPS) as further explained in 36 C.F.R. 59. The Department notes that table 4.6-1 

contains incorrect information on which parks have/have not received LWCF funding. 

For example, Armitage Park has received four L WCF grants, but it is listed as having received 

zero. Washington/Jefferson Park, Fish Eddy Landing (aka Willamette Wayside Natural Area), 

and Eastmoreland Golf Course, were also funded with LWCF. The Department recommends that 

ODOT consult with the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, who administers the 

LWCF program in Oregon. Further, the Department recommends that ODOT consult with NPS 

until an alternative has been selected and it can be determined conclusively by NPS whether or 

not there will be impacts to parks that fall within NPS regulatory jurisdiction. At that point, NPS 

may request to serve as a cooperating agency in an attempt to avoid duplicative processes in 

complying with the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Any questions regarding ESA listed species may be directed to Mr. Kevin Maurice at (503) 231-

6974 orekevin maurice@fws.gov. Please contact Ms. Heather Ramsay at (206) 220-4123 or 

Heather.Ramsay@nps.gov with questions related to LWCF issues. If you have any other 

questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (503) 326-2489. 

We appreciate the opportunity to comment. 

Sincerely, 

Allison O'Brien 

Regional Environmental Officer 
Comment A-3 -1------ From: Borrego, Jeremy (FfA) [mailto:jeremy.borrego@dot.gov] 

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2018 1:21 PM 

To: SELLERS Jennifer 

Cc: Assam, Mark (FfA); Witmer, John (FfA); Changchien, Amy (FfA); OKEEFE Andrew S; Borrego, Jeremy (FfA) 

Subject: FfA Comment on Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS 

Jennifer, 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS. 

Our office has worked with ODOT to determine that FTA has investments along the Cascade Passenger Rail Corridor. 

Generally speaking, FTA funding was used by ODOT to purchase Cascade Corridor train cars and to improve the Salem 

Depot station. As this project develops, please keep FTA apprised of potential impacts to these and other HA-funded 

improvements. 

If you would like to discuss the project with FTA in the future, please contact me directly. 

Thank you, 

Jeremy Borrego, AICP 

Transportation Program Specialist 

Federal Transit Administration 

Region 10 - Seattle, WA 

Phone 206.220.7956 
Comment A-4 

From: SELLERS Jennifer [mailto:Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.us] 

Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 1: 10 PM 

To: KLASSEN Russ 

Cc: Jessica Pickul; Jessica Bull 

Subject: RE: Comments Regarding Oregon Passenger Rail Project 

Hi Russ, 

Thank you for your comments. We will log them. 

Thanks for letting me know about the email address too. 

Hope you are well! 

Jennifer 

Jennifer Sellers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division 

(503) 480-5556 

Jennifer.sellers@odot.state.or.us 

From: KLASSEN Russ [mailto: russ.klassen@state.or.us] 

Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 12:58 PM 

To: SELLERS Jennifer 

Subject: F: Comments Regarding Oregon Passenger Rail Project 

I apologize for sending this to you directly but the e-mail address at the link provided in your 10/11/18 e-mail was not 

deliverable. Hopefully it does not cause too much inconvenience to your process. 

<J{uss 'l(Cassen 

(})epartment of State Lands 

J1_quatic �source Coordinator 

<PJ--{O!NP,: 503-986-5244 

From: KLASSEN Russ 

Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 12:46 PM 

To: 'email@oregonpassengerrail.org' <email@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Subject: Comments Regarding Oregon Passenger Rail Project 

1 
Jennifer, 

Department of State Lands comments: During project planning and development and prior to the beginning of 

construction wetlands and waterways should be delineated and evaluated. Impacts to waters of the state should be 

avoided and minimized as much as possible, especially any rare resources or resources with high functions and values. 

Mitigation should occur where impacts cannot be avoided. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. 

<.R_,uss 'l(Jassen 

(J)epartment of State Lands 

.Jlquatic <R,jsource Coordinator 

PJ--{O:lfE: 503-986-5244 

2 
Comment A-5 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following information: 

First Name: ___ .s___ ·• A_AA-_____________ _

Last Name: MDI</2..1 SS t:-'j 

Zip Cod�: q-=,-'Z/ 2 

Email: �V� m @{-(�:�( CY� DY1. Com 

• .. How die you hear about this open house & publ hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

i □ News crticle 

□ Word of mouth 

lli. Project mailer 

I □ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

I Thank you for your comments! f Please leave this form with a staf person or mail to: 

I Oregon.Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

I 111 0 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 9721 4 
----- . .. 

· ... Oregoh Passenger Rail · · Eugene - Portland 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 

t1t,af- l mevvc ve[l0laU, '- Ckln�

J&tfM'� Jevv� ·

· . · · ·· . · . 

(See reverse) 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#44 

COMPLETE Comment A-6 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Monday, December 10, 2018 3:31:09 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 10, 2018 3:36:06 PM 

Time Spent: 00:04:56 

IP Address: 1 98.238.21 3.152 

Page 1 

Q1 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Comment from the Washington State Department of Transportation Rail, Freight, and Ports Division: 

WSDOT recommends that the DEIS include discussion of a potential passenger rail equipment maintenance facility in Eugene, Oregon. 

This facility could serve as a location where many of the various equipment maintenance activities that occur in Seattle could also be 

performed, providing more equipment maintenance options that are currently unavailable on the Amtrak Cascades route. 

This potential maintenance facility could also give the state of Oregon more flexibility developing train schedules between Portland and 

Eugene, support better on-time performance in Oregon, create more equipment maintenance jobs in Oregon, and give decision-makers 

more flexibility selecting types of passenger rail equipment that best meet the needs of the state. 

Q2 First Name 

Kirk 

Q3 Last Name 

Fredrickson 

Q4 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

98104 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? My 

(Check all that apply.) employer 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) Male 

80 I 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 1 0, 2018 4:32 PM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: O PR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

DEIS comment 

From: Fredrickson, Kirk [mailto:FredriK@wsdot.wa.gov] 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 2:36 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Cc: Jennifer Sellers; A-SRMD Document Control; Biggs, Jason R.; Beloso, Jason 

Subject: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Comment from the Washington State Department of Transportation Rail, Freight, and Ports Division: 

WSDOT recommends that the DEIS include discussion of a potential passenger rail equipment 

maintenance facility in Eugene, Oregon. This facility could serve as a location where many of the 

various equipment maintenance activities that occur in Seattle could also be performed, providing 

more equipment maintenance options that are currently unavailable on the Amtrak Cascades route. 

This potential maintenance facility could also give the state of Oregon more flexibil ity developing train 

schedules between Portland and Eugene, support better on-time performance in Oregon, create 

more equipment maintenance jobs in Oregon, and give decision-makers more flexibil ity selecting 

types of passenger rail equipment that best meet the needs of the state. 

Kirk Fredrickson 

Passenger Rail Serices Manager 

WSDOT Rai l, Freight and Ports Division 

310 Maple Park Ave SE, Box 47407 

Olympia, WA 98504-7407 

W: 360.705.7939 

C: 360.890.9210 

1 
Comment A-7 

From: THOMPSON Paul E [mailto:PTHOMPSON@lcog.org1 

Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2018 5:35 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Cc: SELLERS Jennifer 

Subject: Re: Oregon Passenger Rail: Draft Environmental Impact Statement Now Available 

Hello -

I am reaching out on behalf of the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board. The 

M PO Board is very interested in the Passenger Rail DEIS, having kept up to date on the process throughout its 

entirety, especially since a former member of the Board was Mayor Piercy, and the MPO area serves as the 

southern terminus. 

We have noted that there will be an Open House and Public Hearing on the DEIS on December 6th in Eugene. 

That very day also happens to be the regular monthly meeting date of the M PO Policy Board, gathering 

elected and appointed leaders, staff, interested parties, and others, from the cities of Eugene, Springfield, and 

Coburg, Lane County, Lane Transit District, and ODOT. 

The MPO Policy Board is wondering if it would be possible to schedule a presentation and discussion on the 

DEIS at the MPO meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM on December 6th in the 

Springfield Justice Center. The elected and appointed officials on the M PO Policy Board would very much 

appreciate the opportunity to engage with the DEIS staff in-depth at this meeting. It presents an excellent 

opportunity to engage, and the meeting is also broadcast live on public access TV and the internet (and 

available for replay), furthering the reach that this opportunity presents. 

Please let me know if this is possible, and, if so, how I can assist with any questions or arrangements. 

Paul 

Paul E. Thompson 

Program Manager, LCOG/Central Lane MPO 

Lane Council of Governments 

859 Willamette, Suite 500 

Eugene, OR 97 401 -291 0 

pthompson@lcog.o rg 

541 .682.4405 

1 
Comment A-8 

From: Recker, Joseph D [mailto: ReckerJ@trimet.org] 

Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2019 4:04 PM 

To: 'info@oregonpassengerrail.org' 

Subject: OPR DEIS Questions 

Hi, 

On behalf of Tri Met I have a couple initial questions about the OPR project DEIS that I'm hoping you can clarify. 

1. Appendix B, Section 3.2.2 ROW Assumptions per Alignment - a 30' wide acquisition is assumed along the 

existing U PRR mainline, except central eastside where a 1⁄2 block is assumed. Do these assumptions require 

modifications to both an existing and proposed overcrossing at both SE Lafayette St and SE 14th to Gideon, 

respectively? Or is there enough room in the existing RR ROW to accommodate the additional passenger rail 

track? This is important because the second of those two bridges is currently being designed and intended for 

construction later this year. Are there anticipated ROW acquisition maps available? 

2. I didn't see any mention of the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project which would extend from downtown 

Portland to Bridgeport Village in Tualatin, roughly in the 1-5 corridor. The project has been adopted into the 

fiscally constrained RTP as of last month. Is that because it's not anticipated to impact inter-city travel along 

either alternative route in the Portland Metro area? 

I look forward to hearing back. Please feel free to give me a call to discuss further. 

Kind Regards, 

Joe Recker 

Environmental Permits Coordinator 

TriMet Project Development and Permitting 

p: 503.962.2893 

f: 503.962.2281 

1 
Comment A-9 

From: INERFELD Rob [mailto:Rlnerfeld@eugene-or.gov] 

Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2018 11: 14 PM 

To: Jennifer Sellers (Jennifer.sellers@odot.state.or.us); inf@oregonpassengerrail .org 

Subject: City of Eugene public comment in support of Alternative 1 

Dear Jennifer, 

As you are aware, the City of Eugene has been actively engaged in the Oregon Passenger Rail Study since its 

inception. Providing frequent, more reliable and higher speed passenger rail in the Willamette Valley is an 

important tool in reducing the amount of intercity driving in our region. There are numerous City of Eugene 

polices that support better passenger rail along the Cascades corridor including Rail Policy #4 from the Eugene 

2035 Transportation System Plan: "Support higher-speed and higher frequency passenger rail service and use 

of the historic Eugene Depot in downtown Eugene as a passenger rail station." 

I am writing to express the City of Eugene's strong support for Alternative 1 in the DEIS. Oregon has historically 

not invested large amounts offunding in passenger rail capital projects. We support Alternative 1 because it 

has the potential to be constructed incrementally over time, because it is more affordable to our state, has a 

more realistic chance of being implemented and promises to deliver real benefits to rail passengers. 

The City of Eugene of Eugene stands ready to help implement Alternative 1. We have worked with ODOT Rail 

and Amtrak to develop plans, environmental documentation and construction documents for the Eugene 

Depot, the southern terminus of the existing Cascades service and the proposed southern end of Alternative 1. 

This project is listed as #MM-23 in our TSP: "Improve passenger platform and construct new rail sidings to 

enhance passenger rail service and separate passenger rail from freight rail at the Eugene Depot." 

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the City of Eugene's position on this important 

project. 

Rob 

Rob lnerfeld, AICP 

Transportation Planning Manager 

City of Eugene - Public Works Engineering 

99 E. Broadway, Suite 400 

desk: (541) 682-5343 

cell: ( 541) 556-6124 

www.eugene-or.gov/transportation 

https:/www.facebook.com/eugenetransportation/ 

1 
Comment A-10 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 10:21 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #547 (Georgia Edwards) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 547 

FirstN rune Georgia 

LastN ame Edwards 

Title City Manager 

Organization City of Tangent 

These remarks are from the City Council. They do not feel high speed train will solve the issue of 

congestion on I-5. They feel money would be better spent on adding a lane on I-5. They are 

concerned that technology is changing so fast that this idea doesn't keep up with the new 

Comment technology. If high speed train is to go forward, they feel the I-5, or alternative 2 makes more 

sense. They question how this will be paid for? How are they going to attract people to the train, 

as unless it is convenient people will not use it. They question how people are going to get to the 

train and then what do they do once they reach their designation, how will they get around? How 

will this be self sustaining? Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. 

Email 

Options Response Requested 

Email georgia@cityoftangent.org 

Last 

modified 2018-11-21 12:21 PM 

IP Address 75.150.45.138 

Submission made: 2018-11-21 12:21 PM 

1 
Comment A-11 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Thursday, November 1 5, 2018 9:50 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #545 (Alex Polikofn 

DEIS Comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org] 

Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 9:46 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #545 (Alex Polikoff) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 545 

FirstN rune Alex 

LastName Polikoff 

Title Director 

OrganizationCorvallis Rural Fire Protection District 

I support Alternative 2 with the Albany Option. This plan is the most forward thinking in 

Comment providing efficient rail service to the Willamette Valley and takes into account the population 

centers of Corvallis and Albany while minimizing disruption to existing services. 

Email alex.polikoff@corvallisrfpd.com 

Last 2018-11-15 11:45 AM modified 

IP Address 70.56.19.218 

Submission made: 2018-11-15 11:45 AM 

1 
Organization Comments 

Appendix C: Agency and Public Comments 
Comment 0-1 

�.......___..... Or�g0il Pa�§�figer R;il E11g�11.e - PortlcJ.nd 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Corment Form 

Do You hc:1yef any commeu,ts on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
� 

#;::.., l!o First Name: � ,ll/!.l 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

Last Name: ___Ni_- lA_X_____;;;;;Oe_L__,,;;;;..l-________ _ 

Zip Code: f/7'-/ {) f 

Email: j O >i li'I r.A ,< Q Ilav ':it:. · .., t. <i 

• How d you hear about this oen house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111 0 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
5 

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OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-2 Page 2 

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OREGON PASSENGER RAIL 

Comment 0-2 

OPEN HOUSE 

PUBLIC CO:MMENT MEETING 

THURSDAY , NOVEMBER 29, 2018 

4:30 P .M. 

THE REPORTER : St art by stating your name 

and spelling it for me , pleas e . 

MR. LEAP : My name is Donald Leap, L-E-AP. I ' m the Government Affairs Director for the 

As s o c iat i on of Oregon Rail and Transit Advo cates . 

I've been obliquely invo lved and intere sted in thi s 

pro j ect for a long t ime . And I ' m pleased to have 

this moment to ma ke a couple of remarks . 

The preferred alt ernative cont inuing on 

the exi sting rout e of the Cas c ade s ervi ce, owned by 

the Union Pac i fic Railroad i s , I think, of 

part icular import ance , and we need to proceed on 

this as qui ckly, and cont inuingly as quickly as 

po s s ible . This rout e is we ll establ i shed . It 

s ervices stat i on s tops that are known to the publ i c . 

It is underst ood and it serve s a wide portion of the 

Wi llamette Va l ley . 

There are other part s of the western 

Wi llamette Va l ley that may be perhaps bett er 

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accessible through other means , and I think that we 

need to be j ust cons i dering expanding our s ervi ce at 

s ome point , and not t rying to choose one or the 

othe r . The population growth and conge stion on 

primari ly I-5 , but also 9 9 E and 9 9W, has re ached the 

point where we have to be providing alternat ive 

mean s , p lural , of north/s outh t ransport ation through 

the valley . And the ult imate deve l opment of the 

existing rail s ervice that we have now, plus other 

s ervice pos s ibilities in the future, I think wi ll 

begin to make this po ssibl e . 

The Governor has issued a budget which 

inc lude s maintaining the s ervi ce that we have now . 

This came out ye s t erday, I be lieve . And I think 

that it is fine , but we need to cons ider that there 

needs to be money in there for growth and expan s ion , 

and ways to be explor ing expan s ion , not only to the 

s outh but also to the east . But for the t ime being , 

I know that this meet ing here is to pick and support 

the choice of the line that runs e s s ent i ally on the 

Union Pacific . And as a resul t , I wanted to, 

through my vo ice pers onal ly, and also it is the 

opinion of the bo ard of directors and the membership 

of the As sociation of Oregon Rail and Trans it 

Advo cates , AORTA, to maint ain thi s s ervice where it 

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is now . 

Thank you very much . Brevity is the s oul 

of wit . 

THE REPORTER : State your name is spell it 

for me , pleas e . Greyed out com ment included elsewhere in record 

DR . SMITH : I t 's Randall Smi th, R-A-N-D-AL-L, Smith . I t 's Dr . Smith , PhD . 

So I am aff i l iated with Port l and Stat e 

Univers ity Department of Geology but my testimony is 

not related to Portland State Univers ity or the 

Department of Geology . 

I had a concern that the l imi t ed s cope of 

the DE IS and I know it 's related to the 

alternat ive plans , but there are s everal adj acent 

fre i ght l ines whi ch c ould, say in an emergency , be 

used as e ither alt ernat ive lines or areas of growth 

for the rai l s ystem. So at present eve rything is 

s ort of aligned on the high speed rail, the st andard 

l ine with improvement s and stuff, but there 's very 

litt le s aid about re l ations wi th adj acent freight 

and other rai l . And I think that 's a general 

weakness to the plan because the gap in rail traffic 

is so l arge . People are j ust unfami liar wi th u s ing 

rails , you know, in a rout ine way , and so it l imits 

the abi l ity to grow . 

"0 ,. 0>' NAEG ELI USA.COM 

NAEG ELI 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Comment 0-3 Sent: Monday, December 1 7, 2018 10:17 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: O PR Comment #593 (J. Michael Morrison) 

DEIS 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2018 6:41 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #593 (J. Michael Morrison) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 593 

FirstN rune J. Michael 

LastName Morrison 

Title Member, Board of Directors 

Organization Assn of Oregon Rail & Transit Advocates (AORTA) 

Alternative 1 offers a reasonable and attainable path toward improved passenger rail 

transportation in the Willamette Valley. The ability to use existing center-city stations along with 

the economic development possibilities which these stations represent are among the most 

Comment compelling features of Alternative 1. The Union Pacific right of way is mostly wide enough to 

permit adding a second track without extensive land acquisition costs. Longer term, if a dedicated 

high-speed corridor is someday achieved, the Union Pacific line will still be necessary to serve 

smaller, more closely spaced stations. 

Email aortarail@centurylink.net 

Last 2018-12-16 8:41 PM modified 

IP Address 97.115.225.4 

Submission made: 2018-12-16 8:41 PM 

1 
Comment 0-4 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 7, 2018 10:17 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: comments from OEC on Amtrak Cascades Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

DEIS 

From: Chris Hagerbaumer [mailto:chrish@oeconline.org] 

Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2018 7:58 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: comments from OEC on Amtrak Cascades Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

December 16, 2018 

Comments submitted by the Oregon Environmental Council regarding Oregon Passenger Rail DRAFT Tier 1 

Environmental Impact Statement 

Friends, 

Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) agrees with the conclusions of the Draft EIS. We support Alternative 1 as the 

preferred alternative for advancing Oregon's passenger rail initiative. 

OEC has followed ODOT's passenger rail program for many years and believes that robust passenger rail is an essential 

part of Oregon's intercity transportation system. The preferred alternative appears to best address the need to improve 

train service in a reasonable, realistic and achievable manner. 

Climate change is no longer a theory: the ramifications are happening before our eyes. Transportation is a key 

contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, so it is imperative that Oregon put serious effort in providing viable 

alternatives to highway driving. Passenger rail in the Willamette Valley must be a part of that effort. 

We know from surveys, as well as actual ridership, that rail passengers want convenient and frequent trains, reliable 

service, and a travel time competitive with highway travel. Alternative 1 meets these criteria. 

OEC supports the preferred Alternative 1 for the following reasons: 

1. By maintaining the current alignment on the UPRR and BNSF railroads, the improvements and additional 

trains will have little environmental impact. This is a rail corridor that has existed for 100 years with few current 

environmental consequences. We know that if passenger trains were to operate on a new alignment, the 

current alignment would still continue to exist as a corridor for freight rail. 

2. Alternative 1 preserves existing stations in Eugene, Albany, Salem, Oregon City and Portland. One of the 

advantages of passenger rail in Oregon is that stations are within city centers. Moving stations to 1-5 locations 

could exacerbate already challenging traffic problems. In the future, it is important for local transit systems to 

better incorporate the train stations into their schedules. 

3. The current alignment allows ODOT to add trains incrementally. It is obvious that the current schedule of 

trains, excluding buses, is hurting ridership. At least one round trip should be added as soon as feasible. 

1 
In conclusion, OEC supports the conclusions of the DEIS and encourages ODOT to be more assertive in developing 

Oregon's passenger rail system. 

Chris Hagerbaumer, Deputy Director 

Oregon Environmental Council 

222 NW Davis Steet, Suite 309 I Portland, OR 97209-3900 

503.222.1963 X102 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

Attachments: 

DEIS 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 1 7, 2018 9:59 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: Passenger rail DEIS - Submission of University of Oregon comments 

Sellers_RailService_ 12171 S R.pdf 

Comment 0-5 

From: Betsy Boyd [mailto:eaboyd@uoregon.edu] 

Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:27 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Cc: President Michael Schill; Libby Batlan; Karen Hyatt 

Subject: Passenger rail DEIS - Submission of University of Oregon comments 

Greetings -

I am writing on behalf of University of Oregon President Michael H. Schill to submit the university's comments about the 

DEIS on passenger rail service in Oregon. The comments are also being sent by regular mail. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. -Betsy 

Betsy Boyd, Associate VP, Federal Affairs 

University of Oregon 

541-513-1746 

1 
Comment 0-6 0 1 OREGON 

December 17, 2018 

Jennifer Sel lers, Passenger Rail Program Manager 

Oregon Department of Transportation 

1110 SE Alder St. Suite 301 

Portland, OR 97241 

Dear Ms. Sel lers: 

On behalf of the University of Oregon, I am writing to express the university's strong support for 

improved passenger rail service a long the Cascadia corridor, especially between the Portland 

metropol itan area and the Eugene/Springfield area. We applaud the planning now underway and 

_ support the track, signal, and communication i mprovements in Alternative 1. 

Passenger rail service through this corridor helps to connect the state's research universities in the 

southern Wi l lamette Val ley with our economic and population hubs in Portland-Vancouver, WA. Better 

passenger rail service will also support the success of the new Knight Campus for Accelerating 

Scientific I mpact and the scientific i nnovations that wi ll occur there. The UO's growing partnership 

with Oregon Health & Science U niversity req uires faster and more reliable access between Eugene and 

Portland for both researchers and students. Passenger rail provides a vital mode of transportation to 

the UO's more than 30,000 stude nts, faculty, a nd staf as well as many visitors. 

Passenger rail service has been i mportant to the UO since our funding, but the designation of the 

Cascadia corridor in 1992 fr high-speed rail and improved passenger service is an opportunity that 

must be real ized. With more than 5,000 UO students from the Portland area and numerous graduate 

program oferings at UO Portland, students, faculty, and visitors freq uently travel to and from the 

Portland region to do business on campus or with UO-afiliat�d companies and research institutions 

i ncluding O HSU a nd the new Knight Campus as well as Oregon State University and Portland State 

U niversity. The popularity of Amtrak service with the UO community is illustrated by the frequently 

used Amtrak bus service that originates on the UO cam pus as well as the ridership on Cascades. 

The University of Oregon supports eforts to ensure rel iable and frequent service along the designated 

h igh-speed rail corridor, even if the approach is incremental, with an ultimate goal of achieving highspeed service. The continued sharing of rail lines by freight and passenger rail leads to un pred ictable 

delays that prove costly to riders and discourage passenger rail use. The preferred alternative wi ll result 

in faster times, the construction of sidings, and plans to ease freight and passenger rail l ine 

competition. The i mproved passenger rail will provide an efficient, safe, equitable, and affordable travel 

alternative for UO afiliates and the greater Oregon community. It wi ll su pport the efforts of research 

u niversities throughout the corridor to spur economic activity through our i nnovation and outreach 

efforts. 

Office of the President 

1 226 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1 226 

541 -346-3036 uoregon.edu 

An equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 
UNIVERSITY OF 

RE 

Sellers - ODOT 

Page 2 

Thank you for the opportunity to com ment on this i mportant development. Please let me know if I can 

provide a ny additional information that wi ll be of help. We look forward to working with you as ODOT's 

passenger rai l p roject moves forward. 

Sincerely, 

��F 

President and Professor of Law 

Office of the President 

1 226 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1 226 

541 -346-3036 uoregon.edu 

An equal-opportunity afirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 

I 
Comment 0-7 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org] 

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2018 9:28 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #540 (David Aschenbrenner) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 540 

FirstName David 

LastName Aschenbrenner 

Title Chair 

Organization Hector Campbell Neighborhood Assn. Milwaukie OR 

Will there be a sound or retaining wall along the stretch of Railroad Ave in 

Milwaukie? 

How much present north side right of way is needed and will it affect the present 

Railroad Ave. street layout? 

What will be the affect on the current Quite Zone in Milwaukie? Comment What are the impacts to the rail crossing at 37th Ave. in Milwaukie? 

Thank You 

David 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email 2dasch@gmail.com 

Last modified 2018-11-02 11 :28 AM 

IP Address 24.21.251.241 

Submission made: 2018-11-02 11:28 AM 
Comment 0-8 

Jessica Pickul 

From: OPR Website <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2018 4:51 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #542 (Garlynn Woodsong) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 542 

FirstName Garlynn 

LastName Woodsong 

Title Land Use Chair 

Organization Concordia Neighborhood Association 

These two alignments represent a huge missed opportunity. Oregon should be seeking to connect 

Portland to Salem, Corvallis, Eugene and the Rogue Valley via dedicated HSR tracks. The old Oregon 

Electric alignment represents one way to do so, but new alignments could also be created using 

condemnation. It would be a huge mistake to attempt to battle UP for control of their tracks, or to seek to 

place the alignment along the freeway. HSR should be seen as an economic development tool, and a way Comment 

to help battle climate change by providing a realistic alternative to driving for as many trips as possible in 

this corridor. The current two alternatives will not maximize either opportunity, and represent a shortsighted attempt at compromise that will not meet our common goals for this corridor. 

Further, it's alarming that this process has taken so long to produce so little. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email garlynn@gmail.com 

Last 2018-11-06 6:50 PM modified 

IP Address 75.164.225.57 

Submission made: 2018-11-06 6:50 PM 

1 
Individual Comments 

Appendix C: Agency and Public Comments 
Comment 1-1 

• Oregon Passenger Rail .. Portland 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alteratives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing infrmation: 

,....._., First Name: -=-'..._,__ _______________ J _ 

Zip Code: __________________ _ 

Email: --------------------

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

�ews article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

�ther (please specify): I , � r 1.. r-, ;; 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111 0 SE Alder St. , Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 9721 4 
Co mm en t J.2 

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Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

• How di you hear about thi open house & public hearing? 

� Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

� News article 

if Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

0 Community Newsletter 

0 Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1 1 10 SE Alder St. , Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
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Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 5 

1 tho se things , is there s ometh ing hiding out there 

2 that they ' re going to say, oh , we can't - - we can't 

3 do this . It 's an Or egon state l aw. Comment 1-3 

4 The other one is is there any mode of 

power that might be more appropriate fo r Oregon . We 

6 have looked at this with DMUs , di esel multiple 

7 unit s . And the nice thing about that we can come 

8 out of Po rtland with three cars , get to Albany and 

9 have the last car go to Corvallis , which the rest of 

the train goes to Eugene . In fact , we had a Dani sh 

11 t rain here whi ch is exactly -- it 's exa ctly what we 

12 did was drop the car at Alban y and went over - - this 

13 isn't j ust - - we re ally did it and people real ly 

14 rode on i t . So you can have this out line . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . And do you l ive 

16 here in Eugene ? 

MR. IMMEL : No , I live in Port land . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . 

19 / / 

THE REPORTER : I j ust need your n ame and 

21 if you can spe ll it for me , t oo . 

22 MR. ARMSTRONG : It is Ju stus Armst rong , J23 U- T-U-S, A-R-M- S-T-R-O-N-G . 

24 THE REPORTER : Okay . Great . Go ahead . 

Please speak c l earl y and l oudly so I can get 

NAEG ELI (�,,�0) {800) 528-3 335 

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Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 6 

everything. 

:MR. ARMSTRONG : One of the stated goals of 

the pas s enger rail pro j ect is to implement a cost -

e ffect ive proj ect , but so far Amt rak ha s been les s 

than cost e ffect ive . In fact , in a 2017 legislat ive 

report on pas s enger rail and performanc e, ODOT 

reported that " The gap between revenue and cost 

cont inues to increase . It is likely the cost to 

operate t he s ervi ce wi ll incr ease in the coming 

years ." 

So based on ODOT 's own testimony, it 

appears t hat Amt rak is becoming less cost effective, 

not more cost effect ive . Ore gon has al ready been 

subs idi z i ng each one-way Amtrak ride to the tune of 

about $ 1 1 8 . And the propo s ed pas s enger rail plan is 

likely to only raise the se co sts . Curr ent ly, ODOT 

pays Amtrak about $ 1 7 . 7 5 mi l l ion annual ly to support 

the exist ing servic e. In comparison, t he EIS 

estimat es that the recommended preferred 

alternat i ve , Altern at ive 1, would cost around $48 

mi l l i on in operat ions and maintenance costs . The 

EIS also admits that this is a conservat ive 

estimat ion based on the assumpt i on that Amt rak 

payment s wi ll t ripl e as the number of round-t rips 

triples . 

NAEG ELI ('�,.M, ,,:,�::') {800) 528-3 335 

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Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 7 

1 The next st age for the EIS fo r this 

2 pro j ect s hould include more t horough data on actual 

3 cost effectivity, and spec i fi cally lay out how much 

4 Oregon taxpayers would be exp ected to p rovide per 

pas s enger rail rider under th is plan . The riders hip 

6 proj ections seem to be based on the hope that the 

7 population increase in the Wi llamette Val ley wi ll 

8 allow for a tripling of Amt ra k ridership . But 

9 unless fare recovery is also signifi cantly improved, 

ODOT may have to foot an even great er p ercentage of 

11 the annua l bill for rail pass engers . 

12 What Oregonians need more than costly rail 

13 pro j ects are s o lutions to highway conge stion . 

14 However, the EIS fo r the pass enger rail pro j ect 

admits that neither build alt ernat ive would 

16 alleviate this problem. And that the p ot ent ial 

17 reduct i on in the number of vehi cles on I-5 between 

18 Eugene and Port l and would not be significant enough 

19 to affect or improve conge stion on I-5 . In fact , 

the EIS s tat es that the pro j e ct may actually 

21 exacerbat e conge stion by incr eas ing vehicle activity 

22 on surfac e streets near Amt ra k stations . Spending 

23 this much money on a pro j ect that wi ll not improve 

24 congestion is not what Oregon needs . 

Inst ead of investing taxpayer resources in 

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Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 8 

a proj ect that would cost around a bill ion do l l ar s 

to build and upwards of $4 8 mi llion dol lars to 

operate and maint ain, ODOT could plan on gradually 

increas ing the frequency of thruway bus s ervi ce over 

the next 20 years . The no- act ion altern at ive alre ady 

inc lude s plans to i ncrease bu s s ervi ce between 

Eugene and Port l and to s even round trips per day . 

So why not focus on further i ncreas ing bus s ervice 

frequency rather than investing in what amount s to 

an exorbitant ly priced mode shift . That way 

t ransport at i on s ervice can be more flex ibly adj us ted 

to the actual demand of the Willamette Valley as the 

population increases without demanding the s ame 

l eve l of capital inve s tment and heavy s ubsidies that 

expanding pas s enger rail would require . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . And are you a 

resident of Eugene? 

MR. ARMSTRONG : Ye s . 

THE REPORTER : Thanks so much . 

(End of public comment .) 

"0 ,. 0>' NAEG ELI USA.COM 

NAEG ELI 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL 
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Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing i nformation: 

First Name: 

Last Name: 

Email: 

• How did you hear about tis oen house & publ hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111 0 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#37 

COMPLETE Comment 1-5 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Thursday, December 06, 2018 1:53:37 PM 

Last Modified: Thursday, December 06, 2018 2:06:52 PM 

Time Spent: 00:13:14 

IP Address: 1 62.119.1 1.113 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I like Alternative 2! I'd like further information on reliability as the current situation where freight takes priority makes it hard to plan on 

your train being on time. 

02 First Name 

Holly 

03 Last Name 

Balcom 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97232 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

No More Freeways twitter 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

66 / 119 

36 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

67 I 119 
Comment h6 

-

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•·•or����...·�as���ser\'RJiH -t < < \'' ,,> "r . .�ugene. .

.... Portlq:ncl 

CHOOSING A PATH. FORWA 

DEIS iG.omment iForrn 

Op you have any c6m1ents ·On the Alterative§ pre�ented ir 

the DEIS? 
� 

� 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing infrmation: 

Last Name: _Jj_�fli-=j___.;;;.�--ft.........·✓ -.L-. Jf--=-b�

 ______ 

• How did you hear about this open house & publ hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

0 Community Newsletter 

,)(_ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments; 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Comment 1-7 

From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #528 (Chase Ballew) 

Date: Monday, Otober 22, 2018 5:03:59 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 528 

FirstNameChase 

LastName Ballew 

Regarding the Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS, I'm somewhat disappointed 

not to see any obvious mention of joint operations with intercity and 

commuter rail as a strategic path forward. This was done quite 

successfully with the Point Defiance bypass, with commuter rail services 

implementing in phases that at full build-out also facilitate intercity rail. 

Given the congestion issues plaguing the Portland metropolitan area, 

and given the numerous rail-side towns along the valley, a joint phased 

approach would have seemed quite logical and cost-effective; installing 

additional tracks in Woodburn and Canby, for example, would be easy to 

justify if simultaneously installing commuter rail stations, and could open 

additional funding opportunities (e.g. FTA new starts). Similarly, I was 

disappointed not to see any real analysis of 'express' and 'local' services. 

Also, now that Washington is again studying HSR from Seattle to Comment Portland, should HSR be added back into the Oregon study? The reason 

Oregon eliminated it from consideration was because it didn't match 

what Washington was planning, but if that's no longer a relevant 

concern, should that decision be revisited? Could Alternative 2 be 

designed to support HSR speeds and be easily upgraded? 

Further, I'm concerned that most of the improvements with Alternative 1 

seem focused on train frequency, not speed, as the end-to-end travel 

time doesn't appear to change much. That's going to make it difficult to 

gather support for investment in the corridor. 

Finally, the lack of a Downtown Salem station on Alternative 2 is a 

serious flaw that should be revisited, as this significantly impacts 

ridership. Much like the Central Albany option, there needs to be an 

option for Alternative 2 to divert from 1-5 into downtown Salem. 

Email chase. m.ballew@gmail.com 

Last 2018-10-22 7:03 PM modified 

IP 192.234.56.2 Address 

Submission made: 2018-10-22 7:03 PM 
+ duck7001 1 point · 8 months ago 

+ Interesting, thanks for the heads up Comment 1-8 

Give Award Share Report Save 

+ suffusion The Fixer 1 point · 8 months ago 

+ Found an on line version of the open house, if you can't make the meats pace one: 

httP:I /oPen house .oregondot.org/oregon-Passenger-ra i 1-deis 

Give Award Share Report Save 

+ Reggie_Barclay 1 point · 8 months ago 

+ Trains on Pacific Coast are a joke. Ever try to book a train to Sacramento? 13 hours! 7 hours in 

a car. And it only leaves at 5pm, so you're in for an overnighter and need to find someone to 

pick you up at the crack of dawn the next day. 

2.5 hours to Portland is a bit more reasonable until a freight train makes you sit on the tracks 

for an hour while it passes ... 

Give Award Share Report Save 
Comment 1-9 

From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #530 (Larry Bardell) 

Date: Saturday, Octbr 27, 2018 6:07: 31 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 530 

FirstName Larry 

LastName Bardell 

I'm glad this finally being explored. There has long been a need for 

reducing traffic and improving safety on the congested I-5 corridor 

Comment between Portland and Eugene. Additional rail service could help a great 

deal. How will it be determined if the cost/benefit ratio is sufficient to 

move forward? 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email lbdesig ns@comcast.net 

Last 2018-10-27 8:07 PM modified 

IP 24.21.70.185 Address 

Submission made: 2018-10-27 8:07 PM 
Comrnent l:10 

..·

..... Oregqn'PM��p.ger�Q.il . 

·· ·

· i. < ) · >�uge1.1.e<-:<P9rtJaμd 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

D.QYC>LJ h�ve ..eny comm�ntspn the Alternativespre�entedjn 

the.

DEIS? 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following infrmation: 

First Name: ---

0

Last Name: ___/3____:>_,_u_""'... _-r_' _//_·________ _

Zip Code: ___q_7_·-__o_l_· --------

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

�Email from the project team 

0 My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#15 

COMPLETE Comment 1-11 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Sunday, December 02, 2018 11 :40:22 AM 

Last Modified: Sunday, December 02, 2018 11 :43:32 AM 

Time Spent: 00:03:09 

IP Address: 73.25.249.162 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I like the lower cost alternative, even though it wou Id be nice to have a wider choice of stations/cities. As a Cascades rider, any and all 

improvements to efficiency and service are supported 

02 First Name 

Bonny 

03 Last Name 

Barr 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97477 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

ad in newspaper 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

26 I 119 

61 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

27 I 119 
Comment 1-12 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, November 19, 2018 9:37 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #546 (Chris Bates) 

DEIS Comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Friday, November 16, 2018 4:08 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #546 (Chris Bates) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 546 

FirstNrune Chris 

LastName Bates 

The OPR DEIS supports that Alternative 1 is the preferred social, environmental, and economical Comment option. 

Last 2018-11-16 6:08 PM modified 

IP Address 24.21.169.161 

Submission made: 2018-11-16 6:08 PM 

1 
Comment 1-13 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:48 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: Amtrak 

DEIS comment 

From: bill becherer [mailto:billbech@gmail.com] 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 10:22 AM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: Amtrak 

Good morning, 

I work in Eugene and I'm able to witness the outbound train and inbound train. The trains are virtually empty. 

To spend one Billion dollars on a system that is not working is pouring taxpayers money down the drain. 

I've done some research on the budgets of local mass transit and Amtrak as well. As tax payers, we aren't 

impressed as how our money is being spent. 

Thank you for your consideration, 

William 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#43 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Monday, December 10, 2018 8:47:56 AM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 10, 2018 8:57:00 AM 

Time Spent: 00:09:04 

IP Address: 167.131.0.195 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Lots of great study and evaluation to date. Comment 1-14 

I ride and really love the train, as a commuter. 

However, I posit a few ideas for consideration. 

1. We should really consider whether or not this Alt 1 will really make the dent it supposedly will. With a shared freight line, it is hard to 

imagine it could really ever get much better. 

2. As such, if we are going to invest heavily, we should really be pushing for something that could make a difference, much like the 

Interstate, in transportation. When we evaluated the Interstate in the 1950s, we considered/tried to think about improving/changing 

Highway 99. The ideas were the same. Keep transportation in the communities and not pull them away. However, as we know, it 

would unlikely have done much for traffic, and the change as we see is amazing. 

3. lf we are open to really high-speeds, and changing the patterns in a sense like the Interstate in people's living and commuting, we 

need to consider Alt 2. If we allow ourselves to be mired in the same route -- we won't really garner the ridership or speeds that would 

flip the script, as they say, on transportation choices. 

In sum, I really REALLY suggest we revisit our choice of the least change/low cost route. I recognize it is notable cheaper -- but if the 

outcome is relatively similar, than we have wasted a lot of money on something that hasn't done much to shift the paradigm. I recognize 

the more expensive route may not have the initial numbers to seemingly justify the expense. They talk about how the Interstate was a 

ghost town for many, many years after construction. But I don't think anyone would argue that is hasn't fulfilled its utility over time, and 

that is my feeling, as an historian, of a new route that allows for the current and future speeds that would make this form of 

transportation widely appealing. Such is my heartfelt appeal. 

02 First Name 

Chris 

03 Last Name 

Bell 

78 I 119 
43 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q4 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97403 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? 

(Check all that apply.) 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) 

My 

employer 

Other (please 

specify): 

Salem Depot 10oth Anniversary 

Respondent skipped this question 

Male 

White 

English 

79 I 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#32 

COMPLETE 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Wednesday, December 05, 2018 3:24:51 PM 

Wednesday, December 05, 2018 3:25:55 PM 

00:01 :03 

76.105.208.16 

Comment 1-15 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I think we should definitely improve this railway! I am glad these options are being considered. I prefer Alternative 2 because it will 

result in faster service but I think both options are better than what we have now. 

02 First Name 

Megan 

03 Last Name 

Berry 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97209 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Word of 

(Check all that apply.) mouth 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

58 I 119 

31 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White, 

His panic/Latino 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

59 I 119 
Comment 1-16 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 8:27 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #561 (Aaron Blanton) 

DEIS 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2018 9: 13 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #561 (Aaron Blanton) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 561 

FirstN rune Aaron 

LastN ame Blanton 

My name is Aaron Blanton, I'm 27 and a business owner. I support option 2- building a dedicated 

Amtrak track. Having spent many of the past 5 years in the Northeast Corridor, I have to say that 

convenient rail travel is one of the only things the Northeast does substantially better than the Comment Northwest, and I believe it has a significant positive impact not only on environmental friendliness, 

but also on business. I can say that whether Oregon dramatically improves its rail system will be a 

large factor on whether I ultimately bring my company back to the Pacific Northwest. 

Last 2018-12-03 11: 12 PM modified 

IP Address 98.7.69.41 

Submission made: 2018-12-03 11:12 PM 

1 
Comment 1-17 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 5:42 PM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: Fwd: OPR Comment #565 (Timothy Blood) 

Does comment 

Best, 

Jessica 

Begin forwarded message: 

From: OPR Website <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Date: December 4, 2018 at 3:13:50 PM PST 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Subject: OPR Comment #565 (Timothy Blood) 

Reply-To: Timothy Blood <tb@timbl.net> 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 565 

FirstN ame Timothy 

LastName Blood 

We need more frequent passenger train service between Eugene and Portland. The 9am weekday Comment train Eugene to Portland was a good alternative to driving. 

Email tb@timbl.net 

Last 2018-12-04 5:13 PM modified 

IP Address 73.96.127.238 

Submission made: 2018-12-04 5: 13 PM 

1 
Cmment l-18 

Jessica Pickul 

From: OPR Website <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 7:53 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #537 (Nathan Bofto) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 537 

FirstName Nathan 

LastName Bofto 

I'm so glad and relieved to see this finally out and moving. Oregon desperately needs some tangible, 

concrete plans now in order to secure federal funds and to keep Cascades service in Oregon moving. I 

haven't seen every page yet, but skipped ahead to what the actual plans are, and I'm wondering if some 

questions can be answered here: 

1. What speed increases will we see? I know 79mph is the max Union Pacific will al low in this area, but there 

are only stretches between Eugene and Albany where this takes place. Are there any other speed increases 

along the route? 

2. How much track will be added, and for what purpose? I've seen maps where track would be added, but is 

there a more detailed breakdown somewhere? I know more sidings, but roughly how long? Is there any 

double main sections of track? 

Comment 3. If funds can be secured and approved, when realistically would we see the project begin and how long 

would the duration be? 

4. How and when would additional equipment purchases be made? And from whom? Would more taiga sets 

be made? Or would OOOT look for another manufacturer like Siemens? 

5. Are there any talks or plans about ODOT or Amtrak adding any stations? For instance, a platform in 

Junction City and Canby would be great additions to get more ridership along the route without much 

investment in staffing or infrastructure. 

Thank you for your time. I will be looking forward to the Eugene open house coming up! 

Nathan Bofto 

Email 

Options Response Requested 

Email nbofto@gma ii .com 

Last 2018-10-31 9 :53 PM modified 

IP Address 71.63.161.255 

Submission made: 2018-10-31 9 :53 PM 

1 
Cmment 1-186 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following infrmation: 

First Name: 

Last Name: _�_o_· ----------------------------------

Zip Code: _______q_,___Y___________________________________________________ _ 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

� Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111 0 SE Alder St. , Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail 

Po 

CHOOSING A PAT FORWAR 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

h Y CA.;\1 yciv w rl(K � :r lcolc Fr/Y\ftlc�\-J Jq -t}\� 

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(See reverse) 
Comment 1-19 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2018 9:19 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #571 (Heather Borgaro) 

deis 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2018 5: 10 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #571 (Heather Borgaro) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 571 

FirstNrune Heather 

LastName Borgaro 

Title Ms. 

Organization Retired 

I support expansion of Amtrak service between Eugene and Portland. Increased commuter rail 

Comment options make our area more attractive for economic growth. Mass transit is imperative in the 

battle against climate change. We are already behind the curve--lets do it! 

Email hborgaro@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-05 7:10 PM modified 

IP Address 73.25.125.152 

Submission made: 2018-12-05 7:10 PM 

1 
Comment 1-20 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:58 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #580 (Debra Borton) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2018 12:33 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #580 (Debra Borton) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 580 

FirstN rune Debra 

LastName Borton 

Please put a stop in at Oakridge. Many bicyclists travel here from Portland. Many locals need an Comment 

avenue to ride to and from Oakridge and the valley. 

Last 2018-12-08 2:32 AM modified 

IP Address 174.224.5.27 

Submission made: 2018-12-08 2:32 AM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#1 4 

COMPLETE Comment 1-21 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Friday, November 30, 2018 10:14:47 PM 

Friday, November 30, 2018 10:16:34 PM 

00:01:47 

67.169.218.210 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Stations closer to town centers (where it's more possible to walk places from the station) are far more practical and attractive than farflung stations where you need a car, and then you might as well drive the long trip. 

02 First Name 

Tab 

03 Last Name 

Boschetti 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97215 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

an email about the earlier DEIS phase 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Respondent skipped this question 

QB What is your age? 

24 / 119 

30 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

25 I 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

DEIS COMMENT 

Jessica Pickul 

Wednesday, November 21, 2018 1 2:06 PM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: Not just Eugene to Portland but interurban service in between. 

I Comment 1-ZZ 

From: AaHa 6oTKlH [mailto:dbotkin@mail.ru] 

Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 6:47 AM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: Not just Eugene to Portland but interurban service in between. 

Good morning. 

I was excited at the beginning of your project that I would be able to ride up to Portland or down to Eugene by 

rail, until I learned you were just going to go from Eugene to Portland with no stops in between, with maybe a 

stop at Albany. 

To us who live in small communities along that corridor, is this is unacceptable. Why not introduce an 

interurban service that existed before the tracks were ripped up and the freeway built? If you had a stop in 

Halsey, even a whistle stop with rolling stock similar to the old galloping goose trains, more people would get 

out of their cars and use the train to go shopping or commute to work. 

I am a senior citizen in my late 70s and I no longer own a car. I have to walk or ride a bicycle wherever I go. 

Longer distances I have to hitch a ride with friends. I can't afford Uber nor do I want to use that service. But the 

train! Ahh, that would be nice but not if the nearest station will be in Eugene-Springfield! 

I cannot see why my idea is unfeasible. If we had left the infrastructure alone in the first place back in the 50s, 

we would be miles ahead today. 

Thank you for hearing me out. 

Sincerely, 

Dana R. Botkin 

Brownsville, Oregon 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#53 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Saturday, December 15, 2018 10:10:50 AM 

Last Modified: Saturday, December 15, 2018 10:14:26 AM 

Time Spent: 00:03:36 

IP Address: 71.193.181.233 

Comment 1-23 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Alternative 1 seems to be the most sensible plan, carrying more riders, having a lower impact in environmental footprint and dollars. I 

did not see a time line for each alternative, but I suspect that Alternative 1 will be done sooner. With the short timeline to mitigate GHG 

emissions and get more cars off the road, sooner is better than later. 

However, if Alternative 2 is a stronger long-term investment considering opportunities to expand the network and if population density 

can be increased along the corridor, then it is a viable alternative also. 

No Action is not a viable alternative. Oregon needs this route. 

02 First Name 

Christy 

03 Last Name 

Brekken 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97330 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

98 / 119 
42 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

99 / 119 
Comment 1-24 

From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #543 (Frannie Brndle) 

Date: Friday, November 09, 2018 1:43:24 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 543 

FirstName Frannie 

LastName Brindle 

Title ODOT Area Manager 

Organization ODOT 

The passenger train should include compartments for bicycles to be 

Comment stored so that passengers can roll on and roll their bicycles off of the 

train to use to ride to their destination from their departure city. 

Email Frances.Brindle@odot.state.or.us 

Last 2018-11-09 3:43 PM modified 

IP Address 167.131.0.195 

Submission made: 2018-11-09 3:43 PM 
>. _ · - . -:· ;--: : :<.: _�: . -::

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Comment l -25a 

This infrmation helps us improve our outreach . in the f�ture. 

• Please provide the following information: ' •,._- , ,", ·\\ " '" \ 

First Name: Mrq 

Last Name: B rus b 

(l19gq 

. 
Oregon Passenger Rail 

Po.L 11...11.'l,,lleAJl� 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2019 1 2:57 PM 

To: 

Subject: 

Hannah Mills 

FW: High Speed Rail Alternative 1 Cmment l-25b 

Can you track this in the comment log? 

-----Origi na I Message-----

From: SELLE RS Jennifer (mailto:Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.us1 

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2019 11:30 AM 

To: 'debra brush' 

Cc: Georgia@cityoftangent.org; Gregory Jones; Trina Henderson; Beth Timmons; Loel Trulove; Mara Krinke 

(mckr@deainc.com); Richman, Scott/POX (Scott. Richman@jacobs.com); PEARSON Jill L; Jessica Pickul; Jessica Bull; 

Jonathan Bartsch <jbartsch@mediate.org> (jbartsch@mediate.org); MELBO Robert I; SNIDER Stacy E 

Subject: RE: High Speed Rail Alternative 1 

Good morning, 

Thank you for your comment. This Tier 1 project, including the Project Purpose stated on p. 1-9 is focused on Intercity 

Passenger Rail and determining the optimal route location, service type and frequency, and general station areas. 

Oregon has a statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, including an Advisory Committee: 

https:/www.oregon.gov/odot/programs/pages/bikeped.aspx and it may be beneficial to offer your suggestion through 

this group. 

Thank you, 

Jennifer 

Jennifer Sellers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

ODOT Rail and Pu blic Transit Division 

(503) 480-5556 

Jennifer.sel lers@odot.state .or. us 

-----Original Message-----

From: debra brush <brushd20@gmail.com> 

Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2018 4:35 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail .org 

Cc: Georgia@cityoftangent.org; Gregory Jones <gljonesibm@gmail.com>; Trina Henderson 

<THenderson@wil lamettecommunitybank.com>; Beth Timmons <beth.timmons@gmail.com>; Loel Trulove 

<ltrulove@cityoftangent.org>; Debra Brush <brushd20@gmail.com> 

Subject: High Speed Rail Alternative 1 

Dear Ms. Pearson, 

I understand that the window is closed for public comment on the DEIS. Nevertheless, I will offer my comment for 

ODOT's consideration. Who knows, perhaps another window for public comment may open! 

Since this entire project is tantamount to shooting for the sky, I propose ODOT SERIOUSLY consider the practicality and 

needfulness of including a pedestrian/bicycle pathway along the entire line from Eugene/Springfield to Portland with 

exits at every currently existing crossing. 

1 
I can see how the pathway could open doors for increased commerce and connectivity of the small communities along 

the entire line, which would be served well by such a pathway, not to mention the potential of attracting tourists. What 

an epic ride: by rail, bicycle, on foot. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Debra Brush 

Tangent, OR 

2 
Comment 1-26 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, February 1 9, 2019 2:02 PM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: Two Tracks 

Can you capture this in the OPR Comment log?? 

Thank you ! 

Jessica Pickul 

Program Manager 

jessica@la.us.com 

j la I public involvement 

collaborative planning, decisions & communica tions 

(503) 235-5881 :: fax (503) 230-4877 :: web www.jla.us.com 

Portland: 111 0 SE Alder Street, Suite 301 :: Portland, OR 97214 

Vancouver: 5 1 2 N E 8 1 st St., Suite F, #186 :: Vancouver, WA 98665 :: (360) 993-0025 

Eugene: 44 West 7th Ave. :: Eugene, OR 97401 :: (541) 357-7864 

From: SELLERS Jennifer [mailto:Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.us] 

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2019 1 :33 PM 

To: 'Kelly Brooks' 

Cc: MELBO Robert I; Mara Krinke (mckr@deainc.com); Richman, Scott/POX (Scott.Richman@jacobs.com); Jessica Pickul; 

Jessica Bull; PEARSON Jill L; SNIDER Stacy E 

Subject: RE: Two Tracks 

Hi Kel ly, 

Apologies for the delay in response. Please see ODO T's response to the question below. I will be out of the 

office starting tomorrow and back on 2/28. Please feel free to reach out to Bob Me Ibo (cc'd) if you have 

additional questions while I am out. 

Thank you, 

Jennifer 

Two main tracks through Milwaukie, all the way to the present south end of Clackamas siding, have been 

identified for the past 15 years (at least) as one of the desired Portla nd Triangle bottleneck solutions. Several 

of the desired projects identified in the capacity study have been brought to fruition but not this one. The 

second main track may eventually will be built south from Willsburg Jct. to Clackamas, and that will make just 

over 11 miles of two main tracks from East Porland southward. From the description below it sounds like 

someone was contemplating a third main track in the vicinity of Brooklyn yard, as the narrative describes 

adding a new main track east of the yard. There already are two main tracks between East Portland and 

Willsburg Jct. 
For decades there was a second track in Milwaukie, a siding 5,473 feet long on the norh side of the main track 

that began just norhwest of Oak Street and extended southeasterly a long Rai lroad Avenue, ending before 

reaching the Harmony Road crossing. That porion of the right of way that used to be occupied by the siding 

would undou btedly host the second main track when built. 

Note that that the DEIS is Tier 1 and a more detailed analysis and engineering, plus funding, would be needed 

to (incrementally) advance the project. 

Jennifer Sel lers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division 

(503) 480-5556 

Jennifer.sellers@odot.state.or.us 

From: Kelly Brooks <BrooksK@milwaukieoregon.gov> 

Sent: Friday, February 1, 2019 12:26 PM 

To: SELLERS Jennifer <Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.us> 

Subject: FW: Two Tracks 

Hi Jennifer! 

Long time no see. I hope things are going well for you and your family in Bend. I attempted to answer a question below 

about what's in the DEIS for Milwaukie but I'm not super confident that I'm right. Would you mind taking a look and 

either confirming or denying my assessment? 

Thanks, 

KELLY BROOKS 

Assistant City Manager 

503.786.7 573 

City of Milwaukie 

1 0722 SE Main St • Milwaukie, OR 97222 

From: Kelly Brooks 

Sent: Friday, February 1, 2019 10:23 AM 

To: Ann Ober <0berA@milwaukieoregon.gov>; Ray Bryan <ray1bryan2@gmail.com> 

Cc: Lisa Batey <BateyL@milwaukieoregon.gov>; Justin Gericke <GerickeJ@milwaukieoregon.gov> 

Subject: RE: Two Tracks 

Hello Ray, 

I just did a quick scan of the DEIS to see if I can address any of your questions. The Milwaukie segment appears to be in 

both the alternatives alignments within the preferred alternative. I'll send an email off to ODOT to see if I'm correct. 

http://www.oregonpassengerrail .org/files/l ibrary/documents/deis-publ icdraft-cip-onl ine.pdf 

From: Ann Ober 

Sent: Friday, February 1, 2019 8:47 AM 

To: Ray Bryan <ray1bryan2@gmail.com> 

2 
Cc: Lisa Batey <BateyL@milwaukieoregon.gov>; Kelly Brooks <BrooksK@milwau kieoregon.gov>; Justin Gericke 

<GerickeJ@milwaukieoregon.gov> 

Subject: FW: Two Tracks 

Hi RayThanks for sending this along. We will investigate and will be in touch. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. 

Ann 

From: Ray Bryan <ray1bryan2@gmail.com> 

Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2019 9:31 PM 

To: Ann Ober <0berA@milwaukieoregon.gov> 

Cc: Lisa Batey <l isabatey@msn.com> 

Subject: Two Tracks 

Hi Ann, 

Thank you for coming to the NDA leadership meeting tonight. As Lisa mentioned this issue has been quiet for a few 

years but it is still moving forward. I have attached a flyer from our November 2018 meeting. I reached out to Russ Stoll 

who briefed us on higher speed rail several months ago. He is the one who informed me that double tracks through 

Milwaukie were included in the preferred alternative. 

I spent some time tonight rummaging through the DEIS, which is very detailed. I am very sure that alternative 1 is the 

preferred alternative. I copied the words below from the DEIS. This really all the time I have tonight. I you need any 

further information please let me know. 

I would like to know if you can confirm that 2 tracks through Milwaukie is included in the preferred alternative. It seems 

very relevant considering the current single track's proximity to our public safety building and at least two opportunity 

sites identified in the moving forward process. 

Thank you, 

Ray 

Two miles north of the Oregon City Station, Alternative 1 would add a new mainline track west of the existing U PRR 

mainline. This new mainline track would shift over to the east of the U PRR mainl ine near Milwaukie and run north to the 

Steel Bridge in Portland, adding almost 12.5 miles of new mainl ine track in this area. Just east of where the U PRR 

mainline goes under SE 82nd Avenue as it leaves Clackamas, Alternative 1 would add a new crossover to facilitate access 

to the industries south of 1-205. A connection to local industries south of Milwaukie would be connected to the new 

mainline. CHAPTER 3 - ALTERNATIVES ADVANCED FOR FU RT HER STU DY 3 - 1 2 Oregon Passenger Rail Project Tier 1 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement OCTOBER 2018 In Milwaukie, the new mainline track that started north of the 

Oregon City Station would turn north, continuing to parallel the existing mainline track, and travel under several existing 

bridges - the Springwater Trail, SE Tacoma Street and Bybee Boulevard. The new mainline track would cross over 

Johnson Creek. Several new crossovers would be added in this area to facilitate movement in and out of existing 

industries and the U PRR Brooklyn Yard. The new mainline track would run along the east side of the U PRR Brooklyn 

Yard, crossing under Holgate 

Disclaimer 

The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and 

others a uthorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or 

taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. 

This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd . 

3 
R. 

Will 

a staff'personor mailto: 

This informafidr( helps U$<

ifllpmv� our 

• Please provide the fgU9YifQ infc>rm1at1ion: 

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··.t1· -+---·V4. · . ••.______. .a< / ____: _____ · ______'---· ----- . . ,a ______<>u• e.11 ..............· •a---

• How d you hearabout this open house & py/lic hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

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□ Wordaofamouth 

□ Project rtlaifer 

l:). Community Newsletter ... . . •. •· 

lit Other (please specify}: 5t1�l/tt . ·. 

Thank you·for your comments! 

Please leaveathisafbrm·with·a

t>regonaPassenger R�ir' 

.

. c/o JLA Public Involvement 

11'1o ·sE··

A,a�r •

§t.,a·suite. 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail 

pOJI. '1.AM,JL.IL 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2018 10:15 AM Comment 1-28 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #591 (Janet Calvert) 

DEIS 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2018 12:34 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #591 (Janet Calvert) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 591 

FirstN rune Janet 

LastName Calvert 

Title Citizen 

Tain is the preferred mode of transportation as my husband and I visit our Seattle sons and Portland 

son. If the train ran more frequently, we would increase our ridership.Although I would favor 

building a separate line for passenger trains, the cost at this time is prohibitive. Improving and 

Comment existing line AND adding more departure and return trips would be a great leap forward. IS there a 

way to reduce the number of times the passenger train must pull over to accommodate freight? Is 

there a way to finance a new route along IS without taking it to the legislature? That should be the 

goal., 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email jankcalvert@comcast.net 

Last 2018-12-15 2:33 PM modified 

IP Address 73.157.231.119 

Submission made: 2018-12-15 2:33 PM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#24 

COMPLETE 

Comment 1-29 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Tuesday, December 04, 2018 9:54:01 AM 

Tuesday, December 04, 2018 10:10:22 AM 

00:16:21 

140.211.84.124 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Full Disclosure - I'm a transit planner with LTD in Eugene. My feeling is that Alternative 2 is a far better option than the "preferred" 

alternative for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the idea of induced demand and exclusivity. In the same way that we "improve" highways 

by adding lanes, you simply make a busy highway even busier by inviting more users to utilize it. The same would happen with freight. If 

you make improvements to the existing line, via speed, crossing, etc., freight will opt to increase its own traffic and passenger rail is back 

to sharing an even busier line with more traffic. A new line, exclusive to "passenger only" rail, is far preferred over mixed use or shared 

rail. Here in Eugene, our BRT ridership continues to grow - not because it's prettier - but because we have exclusivity in our BRT lanes, 

even with our BAT lanes. These exclusive lanes, with farther stop spacing, out of mixed traffic, allow high frequency as needed for 

demand. This same exclusivity allows us to add more frequency at the same speed. It seems to me that it would be the same with rail. 

You're only as fast as the slowest freight line in a mixed use situation. I've watched many an Amtrak leave Eugene , only to stop 1⁄2 mile 

down the track to wait for a freight line SLOWLY move through town. Having an exclusive and faster passenger only line would allow for 

more frequency and faster service in the future. I also have some doubts regarding your minimal 18 minutes of travel saving between 

the two options for the above reasons. I don't use rail now because the schedule is inconvenient and it is painfully slow and expensive. 

People will pay a premium for faster service - I know I would. Yes, it's expensive - but a worthy investment. 

02 First Name 

Jeramy 

03 Last Name 

Card 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97477 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? News 

(Check all that apply.) aricle 

Other (please 

specify): 

KLCC 

44 / 119 
41 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS SurveyMonkey 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

45 I 119 
� I 

C--tvv.:,_ � � :) 

Xf; � 

hvt 

Comment 1-30 

---• .,. Oregon Passenger Rail 

Po..l. ....JL...,.1.JI.A 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

t 

(See reverse) 
_a_a___________ 

____ _ ____ __ 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

Last Name: _C_·_o.__:5_1_l-+-

r----------

Zip Code: _�_/_:)_'/a0a5"' _ 

Email: __.f___e_,5_c__a.___j_-t_{ _e_ ]_____ @_�o_f _. (_tP_/V'\ 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

0 Email from the project team 

0 My employer 

□ News article 

� Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

0 Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Comment 1-31 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 1 0:28 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: rail connections between Portland and the rest of Oregon 

DEIS comments 

From: Julie Chapman [mailto:bugthewonderdog@gmail.com] 

Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 8:38 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: rail connections between Portland and the rest of Oregon 

It would be great to have half-hourly trains traveling north and south, allowing for more flexible 

transportationcommuting up and down the 1-5 corridor. 

Tanks, 

Julie Chapman 

1 
· · · .. · ·•·· •· <·• . · •· • i i i • i i

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[)o yoy naye ariyac;omrnents onJhe }\ltE3rnatives prE;lSE;lntedin 

the DEIS? 

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Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following information: 

First Name: 

Email: --------------------

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other ( please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#10 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, November 30, 2018 9:33:00 AM 

Last Modified: Friday, November 30, 2018 9:36:05 AM 

Time Spent: 00:03:04 

IP Address: 198.236.86.3 

Page Comment 1-33 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

If HSR doesn't provide access to downtown Salem, don't even bother. We need to address congestion on the Boone Bridge and that 

won't happen by building a HSR station in East Salem (Alt 2). 

The Portland Eastside tunnel is not ambitious enough. Given all of the congestion because of the rail lines at SE 12th and Division, 

grade separation there should also be a priority. 

I think this proposal is not ambitious enough. Oregon should be aspiring for 90-minute one-way trips from Portland to Eugene. 

02 First Name 

Nick 

03 Last Name 

Christensen 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97266 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? News 

(Check all that apply.) aricle 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

16 / 119 
37 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

17 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#1 7 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) Comment 1-34 

Started: Monday, December 03, 2018 1:14:34 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 03, 2018 1 :20:24 PM 

Time Spent: 00:05:50 

IP Address: 208.85.234.131 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I favor Alternative 1, but with two additional features: 

1. extend the route to Springfield, while still including Eugene Station 

2. facilitate an arrangement between Tri Met, LTD, and other transit districts to honor each other's bus passes on days when the bus 

rider has taken the train, or is between train trips taken within the same week, and has Amtrak ticket receipts to prove it. 

02 First Name 

Bill 

03 Last Name 

Clingman 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97452 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Community 

(Check all that apply.) newsleter 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

30 I 119 

61 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

31 / 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

Jessica Pickul 

Thursday, December 06, 2018 9:20 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: OPR Comment #572 (Eliot Cole) 

Comment 1-35 

deis 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2018 11:31 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #572 (Eliot Cole) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 572 

FirstName Eliot 

LastName Cole 

As someone who often travels between Portland and Eugene and who does not own a car, I cannot 

stress enough how much a new rail line is needed between the closely connected communities. I 

generally take the bus between the two cities because my experience with the train in the past has 

been that it is incredibly slow, over-priced, unreliable and does not run often enough. Building a 

new, modem, affordable rail link would be a life line for people throughout the Willamette Valley 

Comment and provide a viable faster and cleaner alternative to car/bus travel on the congested I-5 corridor. 

An electric high-speed rail line that wouldn't have to compete with freight traffic could even 

provide a convenient and less polluting alternative to air travel when extended along the entire 

route to Vancouver, BC. I fully support the Cascadia HSR corridor concept because it would 

greatly improve mobility, making the trip faster, greener and more pleasant while bringing the 

entire region even close r together. 

Last 2018-12-06 1:31 AM modified 

IP Address 146.185.157.250 

Submission made: 2018-12-06 1:31 AM 

1 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 8:27 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #560 (Heidi Coleman) Comment 1-36 

comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2018 7:38 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #560 (Heidi Coleman) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 560 

FirstNrune Heidi 

LastName Coleman 

Title RN 

Organization Legacy Health 

I lived in Salem and commuted to NW Portland for one year using Amtrak. I appreciated the 

comfortable seating, free wi-fi, kind staff and reduction of environmental impact. However, I had 

to stop using Amtrak as the delays became increasingly worse. When commuting home, it could 

take anywhere from 1 to 2 additional hours due to stops and slow downs in response to passing 

freight trains. Also, I was unable to attend morning meetings at work as the train arrived at 0800 

in Portland leaving me with a 20 to 30 minute walk to my office. The commute times were not Comment accommodating for my work schedule and forced me to move closer to Portland. I am now 

commuting in one of the busiest areas of I-5. If I had better commuting options I would move 

back to Salem and take advantage of rail services. Please improve rail services through 

alternative 1 so that people can reduce environmental impacts, improve community health and 

increase economic growth through reduced car commuting. Thank you for your consideration, 

Heidi Coleman, RN 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email heidicolemanm@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-03 9:38 PM modified 

IP Address 71.193.238.188 

Submission made: 2018-12-03 9:38 PM 

1 
Dear Matthew Garrett, 

Comment 1-37 

You should announce to have the new high speed Amtrak Siemens jet-powered single level passenger 

trains coming and in out of Eugene station because the future is coming. Siemens jet-powered single 

level passenger trainsets would be the only technology to be used. The only train would be the Pacific 

Northwest Express. This state-of-the-art high speed rail network would link Vancouver. The Pacific 

Northwest Corridor or the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC} is one of eleven federally designated 

high-speed rail corridors in the United States. The 466-mile (750) km corridor extends from Eugene, 

Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia via Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. It was designated 

a high-speed rail on October 20, 1992, as the fifth of five corridors called for in the lntermodal Surface 

Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (!STEA). The corridor is owned by BNSF Railway in Washington and 

British Columbia, and by Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in Oregon, and is used by a mix of freight and 

passenger trains operated by BNSF, UP, and Amtrak. If improvements to the corridor are completed as 

proposed in Washington State's long range plan, passenger trains operating at a maximum speed of 110 

miles per hour (180 km/h) would travel between Portland and Seattle, in 2 hours and 30 minutes, and 

between Seattle and Vancouver in 2 hours and 37 minutes by 2023. The Pacific Northwest Corridor is a 

proposed railway that would run from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia and connect 

those cities along with Salem/Portland, Vancouver WA/Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle/Everett, and 

Bellingham, Washington. But I will mail this to you and let me know about it. 

Sincerely, 

Matthew Conner 
Ro\A+e.. Pro Posed-For AIY\-t r-°' k')s 

Po-..cif,c Nor-\--hwe.s+ Hi_ghSPeed 

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1/1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#45 

COMPLETE Comment 1-38 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Monday, December 10, 2018 9:54:35 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 10, 2018 9:57:58 PM 

Time Spent: 00:03:22 

IP Address: 46.93.53.87 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I believe that rail is a ver good investment for our area. I've lived in Germany and see the difference is their rail travel and ours is 

astounding. The Willamette Valley is supposed to grow a lot within the coming decades and more people will travel between cities. 

Improving the rail network will make people more likely to take that option instead of driving themselves. 

02 First Name 

Isaiah 

03 Last Name 

Cornutt 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97402 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? 

(Check all that apply.) 

News 

aricle 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, 

age, and ethnicity? 

Yes 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

82 / 119 

18 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

83 I 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#20 

COMPLETE Comment 1 -39 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Monday, December 03, 2018 9:27:01 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 03, 2018 9:39:43 PM 

Time Spent: 00:12:42 

IP Address: 24.20.43.98 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I prefer Alternative 1. A service planning and market analysis should be undertaken to determine optimum frequency and span that can 

improve ridership in the corridor. Additional stations may help as well. 

02 First Name 

David 

03 Last Name 

Crout 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97212 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team, 

(Check all that apply.) Word of 

mouth 

Other (please 

specify): 

Passenger rail advocacy organization 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

36 I 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

55 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

37 I 119 
COURT REPORTING 

LEGAL VlDEOGRAPHY 

VIDEOCONFERENCING 

TRIAL PRES ENTATION 

MOCK JURY S ERVICES 

LEGAL TRANSCRIPTION 

COPYING AND SCANNING 

LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS 

OREGON PASSENGER RAIL 

OPEN HOUSE 

HELD ON 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018 

5:00 P.M. 

PRINGLE HALL CO:MMlTNITY CENTER 

606 CHURCH STREET SOUTHEAST 

SALEM, OREGON 97301 
5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

0 N A E G E L I ' {!j!,,_''1, ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (

Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 5, 2018 NOT Assgn # 28138-4 Page 2 

1 OREGON PASSENGER RAIL 

Comment 1-40 

2 OPEN HOUSE 

3 HELD ON 

4 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018 

5:00 P.M. 

6 

7 THE REPORTER: Please start by stating 

8 your name and spelling it for me, please. 

9 MR. DANE: Peter, P-E-T-E-R, and last name 

is Dane, D-A-N-E. Looking at the maps and reading 

11 the official commentary, Alternative 1 seems more 

12 practical for the next few years. But as population 

13 and infrastructure increases, Alternative 2 might be 

14 more practical in the future. Also there was talk 

about a freight junction at Brooks, and that would 

16 help facilitate the shipping of agriculture products 

17 to Seattle, because Portland harbor and rail lines 

18 are too congested. So they might consider Brooks as 

19 an alternative rail/shipping location. And as for 

Alternative 1 going through Salem, there's a safety 

21 factor. And those are my comments. 

22 THE REPORTER: And where is your 

23 residence? 

24 MR. DANE: Capitol Street, Salem. 

(Conclusion of public comment.) 

DEPOSITION AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEGELIUSA.COM
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#42 

COMPLETE Comment 1 -41 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Saturday, December 08, 2018 12: 19:10 AM 

Last Modified: Saturday, December 08, 2018 12:23:48 AM 

Time Spent: 00:04:37 

IP Address: 73.67.233.5 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Alternative 2 looks like the easiest and best way to increase ridership. The money will to be invested in this and in widening 1-5 to 

accommodate more and more people. This will also be perfect if Portland truly does get a MLB team, look at what happened with 

Caltrain in San Francisco after the Giants setup their stadium. 

02 First Name 

Jerod 

03 Last Name 

Davidson 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97070 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) 

QB What is your age? 

Community 

newsleter 

Yes 

Male 

76 I 119 

38 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

77 I 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:59 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #583 (Ron Davis) 

Comment 1-42 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2018 1:16 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #583 (Ron Davis) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 583 

FirstNrune Ron 

LastName Davis 

Title Mr. 

Organization None 

I support this. I cannot fly and driving is tough. Rail is the right option for me and I would be 

Comment thrilled with additional Eugene Portland service. I'm Moving to Eugene within 6 months. 

THANKS!!! 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email traingrampee@sbc global. net 

Last 2018-12-08 3:15 PM modified 

IP Address 104.34.34.125 

Submission made: 2018-12-08 3:15 PM 

1 
Comment 1-43 

• Oregon Passenger Rail - __;__ ... _ - Porland 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

• How d you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

� Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

)a. Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

a Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comment! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
I Comment 1-44 

• Oregon Passenger Rail 

.. Eugene - Portl d 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing infrmation: 

First Name: 

Last Name: 

Zip Code: 

Email: 

• How did you hear about tis open house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

rd'Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#46 

COMPLETE Comment 1-45 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 12:35:28 PM 

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 12:41:06 PM 

Time Spent: 00:05:37 

IP Address: 24.21.60.166 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I am supporting Alternative 1 because of overall lower cost and maintenance of existing stations. I am very sorry that this alternative will 

NOT provide higher speed train service. I simply do not understand why the Willamette Valley could not develop a high speed "bullet" 

train such as are available in Japan and Europe. Why all the investment in driver-less cars when we should be developing mass transit? 

1-5 is going to be totally jammed in just a few years! 

02 First Name 

Sarah 

03 Last Name 

Douglas 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97405 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Project 

(Check all that apply.) mailer 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

84 / 119 

74 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

85 I 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#47 

COMPLETE Comment 1 -46 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 9:38:34 PM 

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 10:11:15 PM 

Time Spent: 00:32:41 

IP Address: 98.246.24.73 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

1. CoNallis should be included on the final alternative. Corvallis is too important to bypass. 

2. To the degree it may be significant in the final EIS, the 1-205 alignment should contemplate a multimodal transportation corridor that 

includes intercity passenger rail, space for double track light rail, a bicycle/pedestrian path, and not more than six general purpose motor 

vehicle highway lanes (three in each direction) between Oregon City and Wilsonville/Tualatin, consistent with regional plans. 

3. SeNing central cities is important and valuable, but seeding the infrastructure needed for eventual high speed rail operations is 

critically important with the coming migrations likely to occur as a result of climate change related impacts in other regions. Alternative 2 

should be selected as the preferred alternative. 

4. Station areas outside central cities should be planned and zoned to facilitate development of pedestrian oriented neighborhoods that 

can benefit from seNing rail passengers who will be arriving without their own private motor vehicles. 5. Stations should be well 

connected to cities' public transit and active transportation networks. 

02 First Name 

Joseph 

03 Last Name 

Edge 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97267 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

86 I 119 
39 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

87 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#39 

COMPLETE Comment 1-47 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Friday, December 07, 2018 12:02:27 PM 

Friday, December 07, 2018 12:08:20 PM 

00:05:52 

75.150.45.138 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

The 1-5 alternative seems to solve the most issues, though it is more expensive. It would have been nice to have a question and answer 

period during the presentation. Questions I have include, how do you get the ridership numbers? How do you attract people to ride the 

rails? How do you plan to do the spots where buildings are close to the tracks? How will you get more trains on the same tracks, or will 

you build more? If you build more, what will you do with at grade crossings? Will you close any crossings. How do you get acurate 

cost estimates if you have't evaluated how much impact going on the same route will have on cities and towns in the area? In our city 

we have three main crossings. Two of which have the fire department on one side of the highway,; so it is important to be able to keep 

these area's open for fire and life safety. How will people get from the train to their final designation? 

02 First Name 

Georgia 

03 Last Name 

Edwards 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97321 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

70 I 119 
63 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

71 / 119 
Comrent lA8 

Eugene 

::1e- Portland 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

Dq you, hc1ye any comments on the.Alternatives presented ' ' . · - ·--- ·, 

in theDEIS? 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

.Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Jessica Pickul 

From: OPR Website <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2018 9:34 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail Comment 1-49 

Subject: OPR Comment #538 (James Feldmann) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 538 

FirstName James 

LastName Feldmann 

Table ES-1, Goal 1: Include comparison of on-time performance. Alt 1 & 2 have a shorter trip time, but the 

equal ly, if not more important, measure is the presumed improvement for on-time performance/reliabil ity. 

The $18-58 cost should reflect the significant improvements to reliabil ity, which is key to improving 

passenger rail mobil ity, especially when considering that the alternative (driving) has increasingly variable 

travel times (low on-time performance/reliabil ity). Driving from Portland-Eugene may have a shorter trip 

time now, but reliabil ity continues to decl ine--something that Alt 1 & 2 avoids. 

Table ES-1, Goal 1: Include trips per day--another important consideration for improved passenger rail Comment mobil ity/accessibil ity. Page 3-1 indicates Alt 1 & 2 both have 6+1 trips/day. 

Table ES-1, Goal 3: Include net cost/benefits, not just capital cost (positives, not just negatives). For example, 

the action alternatives include running fewer buses, which lowers expenses. Traffic congestion also has a 

cost. Include the savings of shorter trip times and arriving sooner under each action alternative. 

3.2.3 (page 3-23): Document doesn't clearly explain why Alternative 2 is limited to 6+1 trips/day. Given the 

amount of new track without freight conflicts, it would appear that the max trips/day would be higher for 

Alternative 2. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email jamesfeldmann@yahoo.com 

Last 2018-11-01 11 :34 AM modified 

IP Address 167.131.0.195 

Submission made: 2018-11-01 11:34 AM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#6 

COMPLETE 

Collector: 

Stared: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 4:13:10 PM 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 4:16:03 PM 

00:02:52 

73.67.231.59 

Comment 1- 50 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I prefer alternative 1 that keeps stations central to the cities served. Saving a few minutes with alternative 2 is not cost effective and I 

believe fewer people would use it. 

02 First N ame 

Gary 

03 Last N ame 

Ferrington 

04 Zip Code (Primary Resid ence) 

97401 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some q uestions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

09 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

9 / 119 

77 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

10 / 119 
Comment 1- 51 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 12:49 PM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #563 ( Brynn FitzClemen) 

Deis comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 12:39 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #563 (Brynn FitzClemen) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 563 

FirstN rune Brynn 

LastName FitzClemen 

With either train service improvement, I would like to see access to Corvallis. I am currently a 

commuting student from Eugene and will likely continue to do so for the next 5-6 years. Train Comment service would allow students from other areas to access Oregon State University and reduce 

parking and traffic issues. 

Last 2018-12-04 2:39 PM modified 

IP Address 73.164.175.171 

Submission made: 2018-12-04 2:39 PM 

1 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 11 :02 AM 

To: Hannah Mills Comment 1- 52 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #587 (Glenda Fleming) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 1: 50 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #587 (Glenda Fleming) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 587 

FirstN rune Glenda 

LastN ame Fleming 

I appreciate the effort ODOT has put into this project, and for making the draft EIS, alternatives, 

maps, and comparison charts available online. The information was clear and easily 

understandable. 

1. Please continue to include the Albany station in the plan. 

2. I agree that Alternative 1 would provide the most impact for the least cost and environmental 

damage. 

Comment 3. My concern is that continuing to share the rails with freight will continue to cause trains to run 

late, discouraging riders. Has ODOT considered ways to mitigate this problem? (Even if not, I still 

support Alternative 1 because it seems more likely to be implemented and would impact the 

environment less severely.) 

Thank you again, 

Glenda 

Email glenda.fleming@yahoo.com 

Last 2018-12-10 3:49 AM modified 

IP Address 98.232.178.59 

Submission made: 2018-12-10 3:49 AM 

1 
Comment 1-53 

-t- s\fil.arm rigblar:::kr:::ats 8po rits 8 fl):)riths ago 

♦ Reading the proposal, it looks like that is what is be ng suggested here, There is one 

a ternatve that follows the existing route and one a ternatve that dev ates slight y. l i l i i l Regardless of which is se ected, this seems like a no bra iner to me. Our exist ng ra ii serv ce i i is a joke. 

Give Award Share Repr Save 

-t- Flyer770 6 po nts 8moriths ago 

♦ The Aternate Two route is the old Oregon Electr c, now operated by the Portland and 

Western. They don t have near y the traff c leve s that the Union Pac tic ha sand would l i l appreciate the upgrades to their line. They also have an agreement w th Tr met to allow i i commuter ail servce into Porland, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch fr them, The UP 

would also like to get Amtrak off their lines as well, 

Give Award Share Repr Save 
�� 

(vi,,, � LAJ "fk 

Some comments on the Oregon Passeng

Decem ber i 8, 2018 at 1 2 :43 PM 

er Rail DEIS 

Comment 1-54 

Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this i mportant study. 

Firstly I have been very disappointed in how long (10 years ?) this issue has been studied, and such cost ($1 O million ?). Washington State 

was able to do their studies in a couple of years, and are now wel l along with implementing it. A lot of the time and budget was spent studying 

impractical options that suggests very poor scoping at the start of your work. 

Fortunately the DEIS recommends the only practical solution for upgrading passenger service by working with UP to incrementally upgrade 

their rai lroad to increase capacity and provide paths for more passenger trains. 

This is the only way to "grow the business" which is the only way to reach a point where further i mprovements in passenger rail will ever 

become feasible. 

The north end of A lternative 2 is real ly weird. It m akes no sense to build a new passenger rai l line where curvature restricts speed to about 80 

mph, and is out of direction to boot. Fortun ately you are recommending against this foolish concept. 

There are some important ideas which have far reaching consequences : 

i) Work with UP to upgrade their line incremental ly as funds become avai lable, to increase capacity and speed for passenger and freight. 

This is already in process in Wash ington State. A long term prospect is that a new high speed rai l line m ay be built that will remove many 

passenger trains from U P, leaving UP with an upgraded line, to their great benefit. 

2) The DEIS recom mends Union Station continues as Portland' main rai l station. There have been suggestions to move this station function to 

the Airport, or the R ose Quarter, which in my opinion are seriously flawed. Why build a rai l line that could get to Seattle in i .5 hours, and 

impose a transfer and halt hour train ride to get into downtown. Not to mention the cost and impracticality of phasing this in to the existing 

operation. Union Station is in exactly the right place, and serious planning is needed to m ake sure that by the time it needs to expand, not all 

the space is consumed by high rises. Regretably the DEIS does not look at future Union Station needs. For instance there probably needs to 

be a large passenger concourse above the tracks, with elevators and escalators to each platform. There probably needs to be an alternative 

access to the station from Naito Blvd, for auto and taxi access. Connecting into the concourse. Etc. THis is what we ought to have got out of 

this study ! 

3) There needs to be a l ong range plan for the upgrading the tracks along the east side of the river. As train traffic grows, and the area 

develops, friction will increase. It appears feasible to put the tracks below grade, as was done in Reno, but the geometry is tight, and new 

development is fast closing in on this option. But this is also the kind of issue this study should be addressing. What a disappointment. 

All in al l, the conclusions are tine, but the cost and delays reaching them is scandalous. 

Lets hope the next stage goes faster, before climate change overwhelms all of us. 

l kf � ) ' 
Comment 1- 55 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 11 :00 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #584 (Brian Fuller) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2018 2:30 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #584 (Brian Fuller) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 584 

FirstN rune Brian 

LastN ame Fuller 

Hello, 

I support the preferred alternative or alternative 1. Using the existing right of way would lessen 

potential environmental impacts. With congestion on 1-5 increasing daily the need for a rail Comment alternative is becoming paramount. Expanding rail service from Eugene to Portland will lessen 

highway traffic and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Thanks 

Email b fulls@yahoo.com 

Last 2018-12-08 4:30 PM modified 

IP Address 67.160.162.145 

Submission made: 2018-12-08 4:30 PM 

1 
Comment 1- 56 

Ayano Healy 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, October 29, 2018 1 0:28 AM 

To: Ayana Healy 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #529 (Fuxin Li) 

For the comment log 

From: OPR Website [mailto: info@oregonpassengerrail.org] 

Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2018 2:34 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #529 (Fuxin Li) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 529 

FirstN rune Fuxin 

LastName Li 

Title Assistant Professor 

Organization Oregon State University 

Dear ODOT, 

I appreciate the prudence and thoroughness in the draft EIS for the corridor. It is true that the 

ridership potentials won't support high-speed rail, and hence usually maintaining the sharing of 

the right-of-way with freight line is usually a prudent approach. However, the problem of the 

preferred Alternative 1 is that it is a bit too slow: 2:20 is not faster at all than BoltBus, and 

significantly slower than driving. This would likely not gain the amount of ridership as predicted 

in the draft EIS. I would like to inquire about 2 options that involve minimal additional cost and 

may be potentially significantly beneficial in reducing the time to traverse this corridor to 1: 55, 

which is what I believe a more competitive speed. 

1) What are the chances to negotiate, and chime in some funds with UP to upgrade the existing 

tracks to class 5/class 6? Upgrading existing tracks to class 5 (90 mph) would likely shave about 

Comment 15 minutes of trip time which would make alternative 1 perform closer to alternative 2. Now I 

know that there is research that doing so alone as a freight railroad company is not cost effective 

in general, but what if ODOT can chime in half of the funding for this upgrade? How much 

would it cost? Can we make this a goal? 

2) Although in general I agree improving the current alignment will be cheaper than alternative 

2, I was wondering whether we can just take alternative 2 in the small segment between south 

Salem (where the 2 alignments start to differ) and Millersburg (where the 2 alignments meet 

again). Building the roughly 13-14 miles of track at this area according to alignment 2 at a 

maximal 110mph speed can shave 4-5 minutes on the trip time, and it's the part of alignment 2 

that I find the most cost effective (no new stations, minimal new crossings). What would the 

price tag for just building this 13-14 miles of track according to Alignment 2 instead of making 

those track improvements in Alignment 1? 

1 
My point is, although in general we should focus on the cost effective approach of Alignment 1, 

we probably could also achieve the performance of alignment 2 with a relatively small increase 

of cost. I believe the aforementioned changes would be the most cost effective way to achieve 

the 2-hour trip time and I wonder what ODOT thinks about it. 

On a similar note, I would also like to suggest a roughly 4 miles of track that would bypass 

Junction City ( a straight route that starts from the Willamette river ( after Harrisburg bridge) to 

Alpine Lumber Yard , which could be the similar kind of small improvement that has major 

benefits (such as eliminating 7-8 at-grade crossings). I think with these improvements on 

Alignment 1 Oregon can have passenger rail competitive with driving without paying the price 

tag of Alignment 2. 

Love to see what you think about it. Thanks. 

Email 

Options Response Requested 

Email lif@oregonstate.edu 

Last 

modified 2018-10-27 4:33 PM 

IP Address 98.232.216.53 

Submission made: 2018-10-27 4:33 PM 

2 
Comment 1- 57 

OPR Comment Form 2 - All su bmissions 

ID First Name Last Name Title Organization Comment Em ail Options Email Date Last modified IP Address 

I support the Oregon Passenger Rail project 

and would prefer to see option 2 utilized to 

free up freiw,t rail lines and to help create a 

new path for modern transportation. I would 

also support an all electric rail system with 

solar installations along the entire route. 

523 Greg Gardner Assistant General Manager Blachly Lane Electric Coop gardnerg@blachlylane.coop 10/19/2018 12:27 10/19/201812:27 66.178.145.181 

Note: Obtained from Project Website 
Comment 1- 58 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 8:29 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #562 (Steven Gibson) 

deis 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 6:50 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #562 (Steven Gibson) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 562 

FirstN rune Steven 

LastName Gibson 

Organization none 

I love the idea that we are trying to take cars off of 1-5 and put people on trains. Imagine a UofO 

Comment special for game days. I don't know that we need to spend what it takes to get a high speed rail up 

and going, but having priority over freight would be a good start if the existing rails can be used. 

Email sndgibson@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-04 8:49 AM modified 

IP Address 24.20.6.166 

Submission made: 2018-12-04 8:49 AM 

1 
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OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 2018 NOT Assgn # 28138-2 Page 5 

So if you had spur line, let's say to Comment 1-59 

Corvallis, maybe alternative trains going to Albany, 

Corvallis even to Lebanon where an existing freight 

line occurs. And even I think it goes to Mill City. 

So there are other things that could be in the 

future plan to expand rail service, not just to the 

central corridor but other lines. 

I think that's all I need to say because 

that's yeah, that part is really not discussed. 

And it appears that it wasn't discussed very much in 

the beginning. Everything really has narrowed very 

quickly to the alternative plans without looking at 

expansion of railroad to spur areas, like Corvallis, 

and even beyond Eugene up to -- what's the city 

beyond Eugene? 

MS. DOBBS: Oakridge. 

DR. SMITH: Oakridge. Like you go up to 

Oakridge as a recreational site. Nor does it 

address future connections to the coast, say to 

Florence, Coos Bay from -- maybe beginning from 

Eugene and so forth. Okay. That's all I have. 

THE REPORTER: Start by stating and 

spelling your name for me, please. 

:MR. GIFFORD: William, W-I-L-L-I-A-M, 

Gifford, G-I-F-F-O-R-D. 

NAEG ELI (�,,�0) {800) 528- 3335 

DEPOSITION AND TRIAL ,

1,-

#slf;,,.,, B\J..,,,:-,'v NAEG ELI USA.COM 
5 

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0 N A E G E L I ' {!j!,,_''1, ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (

OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 2018 NOT Assgn # 28138-2 Page 6 

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THE REPORTER: Thank you. 

MR. GIFFORD: Do you need city of 

residence or anything? 

THE REPORTER: If you'd like, yes. 

MR. GIFFORD: I live in Oregon City. I 'm 

deeply involved in the community, Government 

Economic Affairs Committee for the Chamber of 

Commerce. I'm a founding director for the Oregon 

City Business Alliance, and very concerned about the 

economic conditions of our community. 

I know that our train station is underutilized. I attended a meeting last summer and I 

think there were some representatives from ODOT 

there, and I was pretty distressed that the 

direction that they had been given by the 

legislature, apparently, was that more priority 

should be given to tourism travel, to the detriment 

of commuter travel. That doesn't sit well with me 

because people need to be able to get to their jobs. 

Employers need their employees to be able to move 

around easily. 

The other important part of commuter 

traffic is that it's a steady stream. If people are 

using rail service to commute, it's likely that 

they'll be doing it every day, every workday. 

DEPOSITION AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEGELIUSA.COM
5 

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OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 2018 NOT Assgn # 28138-2 Page 7 

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Whereas, to put the emphasis on tourism travel, 

that's occasional traffic. You don't go from 

Portland to Salem every day as a tourist. But if 

you were living in Salem working in Portland, you 

could very well be taking the train every day. And 

that's to me just a skewed priority that so much 

focus should be given -- and I contend that a lot of 

what's being needed to improve rail service could be 

accomplished by better scheduling, by more frequent 

trains. Not necessarily faster trains, just have 

something reliable and frequent. Even more 

important than fast. 

Of course, people don't want to waste 

their time, but frankly, time spent on the train, 

you can be doing a lot of other things that you 

can't do in your car or other means of 

transportation. 

So I would encourage two things. One is 

refocus on commuter traffic with an emphasis on 

reliability and frequency. What's the other thing? 

I think that's about it. Was that clear? 

THE REPORTER: Very clear. Thank you. 

:MR. GIFFORD: Thank you. 

THE REPORTER: Please tell me your name 

and spell it. 

NAEG ELI (�,,�0) {800) 528- 3335 

DEPOSITION AND TRIAL ,

1,-

#slf;,,.,, B\J..,,,:-,'v NAEG ELI USA.COM 
From: PPB Website Comment 1-60 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #525 (Al God) 

Date: Friday, Octobr 19, 2018 6:08:06 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 525 

FirstName Al 

LastName Good 

Title Consultant at Oregon Fire Equip Dist. 

OrganizationOregon Fire Equipment Dist, an assn 

Amtrak Cascades. With the upcoming move of Greyhound from 

Eugene to the LTD Park & Ride in Springfield I suggest a study of 

Comment using that area as the terminus of the south end of the Cascades 

Route. There is a wye right in that area to allow turnarounds and 

sidings for overnight trains. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email g5alva@q.com 

Last 2018-10-19 8:06 PM modified 

IP Address 63.155.151.100 

Submission made: 2018-10-19 8:06 PM 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#26 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) Comment 1-61 

Started: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 11:51:04 AM 

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 11 :59:54 AM 

Time Spent: 00:08:50 

IP Address: 71.63.215.221 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I have long advocated for an alternative like the Alternative #2 which would have a dedicated passenger rail line between Eugene and 

Portland. I understand the greater environmental impact and hugely greater cost of a "new" build. For future generations this seems like 

a good investment, though finding the funds in our current political climate might be difficult. I don't believe that the new stations would 

be a disservice to the "central" cities. In the cities listed, we are small geographically and the distances to a new station would be only a 

few miles. Of course, it helps to have good public transit connections to the Amtrak stations wherever they are located. 

I would support Alternative 1 as a "better than nothing" choice. I very much miss the extra Cascades trains that used to run between 

Eugene and Portland and made day trips feasible. I'm glad the Amtrak buses exist and give greater flexibility, but it would be great to 

some day have a fast train between Oregon's two main cities (and Salem). 

02 First Name 

Marci 

03 Last Name 

Gordon 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97403 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

Adverstising annoucement in local paper. 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

48 I 119 
66 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

49 / 119 
o Ruj0\1 U-fit" 

Po.&. ll.A"-A�A..11. 

Passenger Rail 

Comment 1-62 

I\ 

• Oregon

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented __ 

in the DEIS? 
urse 

prove our 

o

This ·information helps us im

•· Please provide the fllowing information: 

.u 

Firt N�me: eto!;;Jf}f {f 

Last Name: � U'rJ � 1'}j 

Zip Code: tr-eO 'T 

Email� �&tJ't�·rrJ��@j�� , Co�g 

• How d you hear about thi oen house & publ hearg? 

Ml:'.mail frol'Tl the project team 

□ fv1yeemployer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Cdm,rm.Jhity Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Than

Ptease· 1eave t

c/

1 t

k you for your·comments! 

his forrn with aestaff

person or mail 

Oregon Passenger Ran 

o JLA Public Involvement 

1U SE Alder St, Suite �O 1 

F>9rtland, Oregon 97214 
+ C, r/SALEM . Posted by u/JLAPublicinvolvement 5 months ago 

15 O DOT is holding an open house and public hearing for + the Oregon Passenger Rail Project tonight at Pringle 

Hall from 5-7. There will be opportunity to interact 

with project staff, give public testimony, and learn 

about the project. Comment 1-63 

oregonpassengerreil.orgevent/ ... e 

EVENT 

• 7 Comment , Share Q Save 0 Hide •· • 

Comment as JLAPublicinvolvement 

What are your thoughts? 

B , 0 -s </> A" O TT Switch to markdwn 

♦ Gr aytoGreen 2 Points , 5 months ago 

+ This would be a fantastic investment in the valley infrastructure and city. 

Reply Give Award Share Report Save 

90% Upvoted 
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□ News ariclE 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your cormentsl 

Please leave this forrn with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon .

F?assengereRaU . c/o JLA Public Involvement 

f116eSE Afder sf., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail 

Po,& �£.,,,lb.LA� 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 

(ee reverse) 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#1 9 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) Comment 1-65 

Started: Monday, December 03, 2018 6:57:40 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 03, 2018 6:59:59 PM 

Time Spent: 00:02:19 

IP Address: 73.67.154.254 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Of these possibilities, I agree fully with the recommendation to use Alternative 1. It's the ideal service plan all around. 

02 First N ame 

Bob 

03 Last N ame 

Greenwade 

04 Zip Code (Primary Resid ence) 

97330 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some q uestions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

09 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White, 

Native American 

34 / 119 

57 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

35 / 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 10:37 AM 

To: Hannah Mills Comment 1-66 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #552 (Dean Hale) 

DEIS Comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 10:11 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #552 (Dean Hale) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 552 

FirstN rune Dean 

LastName Hale 

Alternative 2 is clearly preferred. We need to improve rail infrastructure locally and nationally. I-5 

Comment is getting clogged as is metro Eugene. Travel times between Eugene and Portland by vehicle are 

climbing and often unreliable. This is a golden opportunity for improvement. 

Email deanhalel@yahoo.com 

Last 2018-11-28 12:11 PM modified 

IP Address 73.240.46.189 

Submission made: 2018-11-28 12: 11 PM 

1 
Comment 1-67 

Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

DEIS comment 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 10, 2018 10:48 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: Oregon passenger rail DEIS 

From: Brian [mailto:bhallbrw@hotmail.com] 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 9:56 AM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: Oregon passenger rail DEIS 

What I see lacking in the current plan is decreasing the current trip time. I was a frequent user of the service 

until the morning departure south time change made commuting to work not viable. While I recognize that 

there is not enough money available to upgrade the entire line to 110 mph standards with the current 

budget. However it is enough to double track it along the entirety of the route. The current line could then be 

upgraded on shorter segments canby to woodburn, woodburn to Keizer to 110 mph standards because there are 

fewer road crossings. This could also be done in comparable areas between Salem and Eugene. The bottom line 

is even with the worsening traffic on interstate 5 people won't ride the train because it doesn't run frequently 

enough and is usually faster to drive. Decreasing the trip time and increasing the trip frequency is the only way 

to get cars off the road. 

Brian Hall 

8039 N Edison St 

Portland, Oregon 97203 

Get Outlook for iOS 

1 
Comment 1-68 

From: Joshua Kane Halstd 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: Re: Oreon Passenger Rail: Draft Environmental Impact Statement Now Av ailable 

Date: Friday, Octber 19, 2018 8:31:43 AM 

Yet, no plan to connect Corvallis. AGAIN. 

On Oct 19, 2018, at 8:04 AM, Oregon Passenger Rail <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> wrote: 

The Draf Environmental Impact Statement is 

now available! 

For several years, Oregon Department of 

Transportation (ODOT) has studied ways to 

improve the frequency, convenience, speed 

and reliability of intercity passenger rail serice 

between the Portland urban area and the 

Eugene-Springfield urban area. 

The project has reached an important 

milestone with the release of the Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). 

The DEIS describes why the project is being 

proposed and the project's alternatives. It 

examines the potential social, economic and 

environmental impacts of those alternatives. 

The "build" alternatives in the DEIS would 

accommodate increased passenger rail 

service. 

• Alternative 1 follows the existing Amtrak 

Cascades passenger rail route. It 

proposes track, signal and 

communication improvements. 

• Alternative 2 is primarily a new route between Springfield and Oregon City 

along Interstate 5, an existing freight rail line and Interstate 205. It would 

follow the existing alignment north of Oregon City. 

ODOT and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have identified Alternative 1 

as the Preferred Alternative. 
ODOT is now accepting comments on the 

DEIS 

ODOT is holding five public open houses to give community members an 

opportunity to review the findings and comment on the DEIS. The public is also 

invited to participate in an online open house between Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 8, 201 8. 

• Portland: Nov. 28, 201 8, 5-7 p.m., ODOT Region 1 Office, 1 23 NW Flanders 

St., Portland, OR 97209 

• Oregon City: Nov. 29, 2018, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Pioneer Community Center, 61 5 

Fifth St., Oregon City, OR 97045 

• Albany: Dec. 4, 201 8, 5-7 p. m., Linn-Benton Community College, Fireside 

Room, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW, Albany, OR 97321 

• Salem: Dec. 5, 2018, 5-7 p.m., Pringle Hall, 606 Church St. SE, Salem, OR 

97301 

• Eugene: Dec. 6, 2018, 5-7 p.m., Main Public Librar, 1 00 W 1 oth Ave., 

Eugene, OR 97 401 

Paper copies are also available for review at several locations throughout the 

corridor. Learn more. 

The path to improved passenger rail 

Following the public comment period, ODOT and FRA will select a Final Preferred 

Alternative and will document that decision in the Final Environmental Impact 

Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD lays the groundwork for 

the possibility of expanding Oregon's Passenger Rail Program, opening the path to 

future investments and expansion of serice on the route. Improved service is 

forecast to facilitate a near-doubling of ridership by 2035 and would provide an 

efficient, safe, equitable and affordable travel alternative. The FEIS is anticipated in 

201 9. 

Summary of upcoming dates 

• DEIS Notice of Availability: Oct. 1 9, 201 8 

• Public Comment Period: Oct. 1 9-Dec. 1 8, 201 8 

• Public Meetings in Portland, Oregon City, Salem, Albany and Eugene: Nov. 

28-Dec. 6, 201 8 

• Online Open House: Nov. 28-Dec. 1 8, 201 8 

The meeting locations are ADA accessible. Information is available in alternative 
formats upon request. Accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities. 

To request an accommodation to participate in meetings, please call Jennifer 

Sellers at (503) 480-5556 or statewide relay 7 -1-1 at least 48 hours prior to the 

meeting. 

OregonPassengerRail.org 

Contact Us: 

• Visit www.OregonPassengerRail.org • Email info@oregonpassengerrail.org

• Call Jennifer Sellers, Passenger Rail Program Manager at (503) 480-5556 

unsubscrjbe from this list update subscription preferences 
Comment 1-69 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Thursday, November 29, 201810:30 AM 

To: SELLERS Jennifer; Jessica Bull 

Cc: Hannah Mills 

Subject: RE: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Hi JenniferWe will add this to the log. 

You could respond with: Thank you for your feedback. Your comment will be reviewed and formally responded to by 

ODOT and FRA in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. 

Best, 

Jessica Pickul 

Program Manager 

jessica@la.us.com 

j 1a I public involvement 

collaborative planning, decisions & communications 

(503) 235-5881 :: fax (503) 230-4877 :: web www.jla.us.com 

Portland: 1110 SE Alder Street, Suite 301 :: Portland, OR 97214 

Vancouver: 512 NE 81 st St., Suite F, #186 :: Vancouver, WA 98665 :: (360) 993-0025 

Eugene: 44 West 7th Ave. :: Eugene, OR 97401 :: (541) 357-7864 

From: SELLERS Jennifer [mailto:Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.us] 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 1:48 PM 

To: Jessica Pickul; Jessica Bull 

Subject: FW: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Hi, 

Can you log this one? Do you have a response that you have been using that you can provide to me? 

Thanks, 

Jennifer 

Jennifer Sellers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division 

(503) 480-5556 

Jennifer.sel lers@odot.state.or.us 

From: Jonathan Harnish [mailto:ith@harnishlaw.com] 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 12:32 PM 
To: SELLERS Jennifer 

Subjec: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Please don't waste public funds (taxpayer money) on a project which would not find its way into the top 100 of 

priorities for the State of Oregon or anyone one of its struggling communities. A state which cannot pay its 

debt, fund its public employee pensions, house its homeless, feed the hungry or adequately educate its children 

should not spend a single cent on studying or implementing this wasteful and dreadfully wrong use of public 

funds. 

Jonathan Harnish 

Harnish Properties 

Mail: 333 S. State St., Suite V, PMB 114 

Lake Oswego, OR 97034 

503-860-0133 

jth@harnishlaw.com 

2 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#9 

COMPLETE 

Collector: 

Started: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Thursday, November 29, 2018 10:30:11 PM Comment 1-70 

Last Modified: Thursday, November 29, 2018 10:40:06 PM 

Time Spent: 00:09:55 

IP Address: 24.22.117.211 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Alternative 2 looks much more preferable to me. We need to invest in passenger rail in this state to keep up with other west coast states 

and as a weapon to fight against climate change. 

02 First Name 

Michael 

03 Last Name 

Hashizume 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97005 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

14/119 

29 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White, 

Asian 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

15/119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#51 

COMPLETE Comment 1-71 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, December 14, 2018 6:38:53 PM 

Last Modified: Friday, December 14, 2018 6:42:55 PM 

Time Spent: 00:04:01 

IP Address: 172.58 .95. 1 05 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I believe that option #1 is the most cost effective way to increase ridership on the segment between Eugene and Portland. 

02 First Name 

Tim 

03 Last Name 

Hayden 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97477 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? News 

(Check all that apply.) aricle 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

08 What is your age? 

I'll be 62 in January. 

09 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

94 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

95 / 119 
· :£31/ "f£d()tl;, q •%7I· :ic.�ir;•f �,--(J1«. o

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Dp you hav� ciny pomm�nt§ on tt)� Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 
� 

Tell us about yourself 

This infrmation helps us imprve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Namec /4""''7[,. i 

Last Name: f/c.">L7 tA-e v 

Zip Code: Cf '] ?-. (/( 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other {please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Comment 1 -73 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 10:28 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #550 (norbert heins) 

DEIS Comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 5:12 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #550 (norbert heins) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 550 

FirstNrune norbert 

LastN ame he ins 

Title voter 

Comment what about using the Oregon electric line 

Email OptionsResponse Requested 

Email norbycandy@gmail.com 

Last modified 2018-11-28 7:12 AM 

IP Address 67.189.24.32 

Submission made: 2018-11-28 7:12 AM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#30 

COMPLETE 

Comment 1-74 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Wednesday, December 05, 2018 12:43:00 PM 

Wednesday, December 05, 2018 1:12:03 PM 

00:29:02 

140.211.84.124 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

As shown on the previous page, I support Alternative 1. With higher ridership expected and significantly lower cost it seems to make 

more sense. I ride the train and I support passenger rail travel and would love to see a high-speed train but the 15 min or so of travel 

time savings associated with Alternative 2 doesn't seem to justify the 3 fold increase in cost. As someone concerned about climate 

change, I think we need to increase ridership, and reliability. I'm concerned about the amount of new construction in Alternative 2 and 

the loss of Eugene Station. 

02 First Name 

Kelly 

03 Last Name 

Hoell 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97405 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

Facebook from Mayor Vinis, email from co-worker with link 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

55 I 119 
38 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

56 I 119 
Comment 1-75 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 11 :00 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #585 (Dan Hoffman) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2018 8:02 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #585 (Dan Hoffman) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 585 

FirstN rune Dan 

LastN ame Hoffman 

I was interested in this project until I saw how long it was taking. It is really disappointing how 

long it took for this Draft EIS to be prepared. I understand there is bureaucracy with the FRA, but 

due to the delay, the Draft EIS is riddled with outdated data that makes the comparison of 

alternatives rather useless. For example, the Purpose and Need uses data from 2011 and 2012! Why 

Comment was this not updated? ODOT could easily access this information, including its own ridership data. 

I would also like to note that the official name is BNSF Railway, it is NOT Burlington Northern 

Santa Fe. It is officially BNSF Railway. The fact that ODOT Rail Division does not know this is 

disturbing. 

Last 2018-12-09 10:02 AM modified 

IP Address 172.58.87.101 

Submission made: 2018-12-09 10:02 AM 

1 
Comment 1-76 

From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #534 (Darcy Howard) 

Date: Wednesday, Octobr 31, 2018 12:35:55 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 534 

FirstName Darcey 

LastName Howard 

Title Dir. Marketing 

OrganizationCoconut Bliss 

Having moved back here from the East coast where train service to 

other cities, states, etc. is the norm for commuting and travel it calls 

to question; "just how environmentally aware are we here in Oregon? II 

The reduction overall to roads, congestion, financial feasibi lity on 

Comment families to not own a car, and environmental impacts make having 

access to increased schedules and routes a significant benefit. Option 

2 would be my preference but any increase in frequency from 

Eugene/springfield to Portland would be ideal. At this point it's either 

5 :30 am or 2:30 pm if I'm not mistaken. 

Email darcey@cocon utbl iss.com 

Last 2018-10-31 2:35 PM modified 

IP Address 96.95.145.57 

Submission made: 2018-10-31 2:35 PM 
�eg9JJ.• I-1it§ieQger<�il 

/Port:J'1⁄4nq · i Eug1⁄4ne.i ... · · ·.·

· · .. i ··· < < _

( · < <· . . 

�_,. �

cornrnent l-77 

CHOOSINGA PATH FORWARD 

po ypLJ haye aoy cqmrr1ent$ on the3 Alternative$ presented in 

the DEIS? 
------------

______ 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: /"'J(c � 

Last Name:-4c»-,--( �-,--]-

Zip Code: _C(_' _'1_______

, 

_ 

Email: i\l UC-C/''1 O I@.!jf � co--,.,,:.., 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

��ii from the project team 

□ My employer 

�ews article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 1 0, 2018 1 0:48 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: OPR Comment #579 (Kent Hutchens) 

Comment 1-78 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 10:01 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #579 (Kent Hutchens) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 579 

FirstN rune Kent 

LastName Hutchens 

I attended last nights' DEIS meeting in Eugene and I fully agree with the Alternative 1 proposal. 

Spending more than 4 billion to construct a new line and save only a few minutes' travel time 

makes no sense to me. If existing track is improved, more sidings constructed, and possibly some 

existing sidings connected, passenger/freight interference could be greatly lessened. All stations 

along the existing route have been upgraded/refurbished in the last few years and abandoning them 

Comment to build others on a new line is wasteful. I think getting Union Pacific to agree will be very 

difficult, as well as finding funding for the project. This, however, should be pursued as traffic on 1-

5 is worsening exponentially and will continue to do so. Another issue that will need to be 

addressed is how to convince residents of Central and Eastern Oregon that this is necessary, despite 

them not having close access to the corridor; plus those over here who don't believe in the Amtrak 

subsi dy. Please press on and continue your efforts! 

Email kmhutcher@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-07 12:00 PM modified 

IP Address 71.92.145.241 

Submission made: 2018-12-07 12:00 PM 

1 
COURT REPORTING 

LEGAL VlDEOGRAPHY 

VIDEOCONFERENCING 

TRIAL P RESEN TATION 

MOCK JURY SERVICES 

LEGAL TRANSCRIPTION 

COPYING AND SCANNING 

LANGUAGE I NTERPRETERS 

Comment 1-79 

OREGON PASSENGER RAIL 

OPEN HOUSE 

HELD ON 

THURSDAY , DECEMBER 6, 2018 

5:0 0 P . M. 

EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY 

100 WEST TENTH AVENUE 

EUGENE , OREGON 97401 
5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

N A E G E L I 0 ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (' {!j!,,_''1,

Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 2 

1 OREGON PAS SENGER RAIL 

2 OPEN HOUSE 

3 HELD ON 

4 THURSDAY , DECEMBER 6, 2018 

5:0 0 P . M. 

6 

7 THE REPORTER : Tell me your name and 

8 spell , it pleas e . 

9 :MR. I:MMEL : Ed Immel , I have an out l ine . 

THE REPORTER : Okay . Thank you . 

11 :MR. I:MMEL : I ' m Bob ' s predeces sor . I ' m a 

12 state rai l planner . So I ' ve been throu gh three 

13 pas s enger rail plans, s ix fre ight rail plans , three 

14 commuter rai ls plan s . 

S ome of these things - - there were s ome 

16 s tudi es that were n ot - - I di dn't see in the CD . 

17 But s ome of the se o ther s tudi es that we did, we 

18 eliminated the Oregon E l ectri c Al ignment whi ch took 

19 probably took 10 ye ars to do that . We had done it 

in 1994 already . The double track ins i de - - the 

21 increment al one , we came up with 1.3 bi llion . The 

22 other thing is the capac ity analys is in the Portl and 

23 area as p art of the Columbia River cros s ing, we did 

24 rail from Eugene to Tacoma and from Portland to 

Pas co , plus the commuter rail s tudy . 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEG ELI USA.COM 
5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

N A E G E L I 0 ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (' {!j!,,_''1,

Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 3 

1 Now, what 's going to happen is everybody 

2 that was invo lved in the commut er rail study , 

3 there 's only three of us that still survive . And so 

4 s omebody is going to come in and we wi ll do another 

commuter rail s tudy . They exp lained to us kind of 

6 why there 's l ower r idership . Al so there 's nothing in 

7 here about impact s of po s it ive t rain contro l, PTC , 

8 whi ch is j ust be ing impl ement ed, can have s ome ma j or 

9 impact s on how we operate t ra ins , spacing t rains , 

equipment that 's avai l able . 

11 Al so we ' r e loo king at nit rogen fuel cel l 

12 powered t rains , cut t ing edge technology whose onl y 

13 by-product is wat er . So there 's no fumes . They 

14 j ust inst alled one in regular s ervi ce in Germany . 

So it 's c oming . Th is takes a whi l e . The other 

16 t echnology is batteries . Siemens Company is the 

17 nit rogen Bombardi er with the battery . 

18 We also did an alignment s tudy, like up 

19 here , was done by t he Australians . I n ever s aw any 

ment i on of that . I t 's a l itt le bit dif ferent but it 

21 - - it was t echnology at that t ime that was not 

22 available , probably 20 years ago . Wash ington has 

23 s tudi ed a high-speed rail study is l eading to 

24 another one . The difference being at l east the 

ori ginal one , Portl and airport is the t erminus , n ot 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEG ELI USA.COM 
5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 4 

1 Uni on station . Bec ause Uni on - - PDX ha s got 

2 parking , rent al cars, public trans it . I don 't know 

3 where it 's going to go , the Washington one . So this 

4 is crit ical that we don 't end up going to Port l and 

and Washingt on goes to the ai rport . 

6 This othe r one - - t he improvement s 

7 negotiating with Un ion Pac i fi c, we did that with 

8 Pacific , that 's how we got the t rains we have now . 

9 They need to start now . T ime is cont ent ious . The 

other one is the po sit ive t ra in cont rol that we n eed 

11 to follow that . As an exampl e, Trimet Port l and, the 

12 commuter rail proj e ct, al ready has the PTC . I t 's 

13 one of the few that 's been improved, and because of 

14 that , we can probably use noncompliant vehicles . 

Right now they ' re mas s ive . They ' re huge . The new 

16 ones - - t hey ' ve t ac ked on an order for stude ( ph) 

1 7 cars . 

18 THE REPORTER : What kind of a cars? 

19 :MR. I:MMEL : They ' re di esel multiple unit , 

DMU . And al so - - there 's also - - any state laws 

21 prohibit ODOT from gett ing federal , state , and lo cal 

22 funds . S ome of the Connect Oregon mone y was not 

23 appli cabl e to ODOT . And for the rail freight 

24 s tudi es that they did, they a ctually had to go to 

legislature and change the law . So thi s is one of 

\, � N A E G E L I (so o) s 2 s- 3 3 3 s ' DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL (, � �,.�) NAEG ELI USA.COM 
5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

17 

18 

N A E G E L I 0 ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (' {!j!,,_''1,

Oregon Passenger Rail Meeting December 6, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-5 Page 5 

1 tho se things , is there s ometh ing hiding out there 

2 that they ' re going to say, oh , we can't - - we can't 

3 do this . It 's an Or egon state l aw. 

4 The other one is is there any mode of 

power that might be more appropriate fo r Oregon . We 

6 have looked at this with DMUs , di esel multiple 

7 unit s . And the nice thing about that we can come 

8 out of Po rtland with three cars , get to Albany and 

9 have the last car go to Corvallis , which the rest of 

the train goes to Eugene . In fact , we had a Dani sh 

11 t rain here whi ch is exactly -- it 's exa ctly what we 

12 did was drop the car at Alban y and went over - - this 

13 isn't j ust - - we re ally did it and people real ly 

14 rode on i t . So you can have this out line . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . And do you l ive 

16 here in Eugene ? 

MR. IMMEL : No , I live in Port land . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . 

19 / / 

THE REPORTER : I j ust need your n ame and 

21 if you can spe ll it for me , t oo . 

22 MR. ARMSTRONG : It is Ju stus Armst rong , J23 U- T-U-S, A-R-M- S-T-R-O-N-G . 

24 THE REPORTER : Okay . Great . Go ahead . 

Please speak c l earl y and l oudly so I can get 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEG ELI USA.COM 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 1 0:35 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #551 (vicki jean) 

Comment 1-80 Deis comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 10:00 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #551 (vicki jean) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 551 

FirstN rune vicki 

LastName Jean 

Title Train mechanic 

Organization Hitachi 

I am currently working as a mechanic in production of the Honolulu Mass Transit trains in San 

Comment Francisco Bay area site. I will be relocating to the Salem Oregon area and would like to know of 

any available jobs in your Rail project. Resume upon request. Thank you ,Vicki 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email vickijeansf@gmail.com 

Last 2018-11-28 11:59 AM modified 

IP Address 104.220.44.210 

Submission made: 2018-11-28 11:59 AM 

1 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 1 8, 2018 4:45 PM 

Comment 1-81 To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: Passenger Rail Alternatives 

DEIS 

From: Kay Johnson [mailto: kaybjohnson@gmail.com] 

Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2018 4:28 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: Passenger Rail Alternatives 

To Whom it may Concern: 

The purpose of this e-mail is to comment on the Oregon Passenger Rail proposals for DEIS Alternatives. 

We respectfully recommend that the Commission follow Alternative One (1) in order to fully utilize and 

improve the existing Amtrak Cascades rail system. It is the more efficient of the two systems proposed. 

Improving this existing system wi ll capitalize on the considera ble investments already made by both private 

enterprise and the federal government and will, as a result, save valuable Oregon resources and improve 

transportation for everyone in the West and Northwest, not only passengers, but also freight clients. 

As ordinary taxpayers and citizens, we appreciate your efforts to improve the quality of life for Oregonians, 

and especially for rail clients and customers, and we thank you very much for your attention to this letter. 

Gratefully yours, 

Norman Patrick Johnson, Fifth-generation Oregonian 

Kay B. Johnson 

EdM '1 1 Harvard Universit 

1 
From: OPR Websjte 

To: Oregon passenger Rail 

Subject: QPR Comment #522 (Noel Johnson) Comment 1-82 Date: Friday, Octobr 19, 2018 8:56: 15 AM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 522 

FirstNameNoel 

LastName Johnson 

Please aim higher! It is tough to get the public excited about (let alone 

interested in funding) a system that will continue to take 2 hours to get 

to Eugene. Please just copy the many cities and nations who show us 

that if you build high-speed systems that are way faster than car­ Comment 

Address 

alternatives, you can induce demand and realize lower carbon, more 

vibrant cities and towns via smart-growth land use and development 

practices. This project is the backbone to such a future vision, but it 

needs to be truely fast! 

Email noelal lenjohnson@yahoo.com 

Last 

modified 2018-10-19 10:55 AM 

IP 67.168.198.10 

Submission made: 2018-10-19 10:55 AM 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#48 

COMPLETE Comment 1-83 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:31 :44 PM 

Last Modified: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:33:26 PM 

Time Spent: 00:01 :41 

IP Address: 98.232.140.45 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Yes 

02 First Name 

david 

03 Last Name 

Jorling 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97034 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

09 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

88 I 119 

72 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

89 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#49 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:33:40 PM 

Last Modified: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:46:14 PM 

Time Spent: 00:12:33 

IP Address: 98.232.140.45 

Page 1 

Q1 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I am a high speed rail advocate, but have long realized that Americans "don't get it" when it comes to high speed rail, and probably neve1 

will. Alternatives 1 and 2 are not High Speed Rail. Nor are they even "Higher Speed Rail" in any meaningful sense. In 1950, Southern 

Pacific's Shasta Daylight too 2 hours and 25 minutes to go between Portland and Eugene. In Alternative 1, which I understand to be the 

preferred alternative, will only beat that time by 5 minutes at a cost of anywhere from 870 million to over 1 billion. This is a colossal 

waste of money. If this money "needs to be spent" it would be better to use it to build an exclusive high speed rail line between 

Portland and Vancouver as part of a true high speed rail line between Portland and Seattle. Mark me down as advocating for the nobuild alternative. 

Q2 First Name 

David 

Q3 Last Name 

Jorling 

Q4 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97034 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) Respondent skipped this question 

QB What is your age? Respondent skipped this question 

90 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) Respondent skipped this question 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) Respondent skipped this question 

91/119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#50 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:46:38 PM 

Last Modified: Friday, December 14, 2018 12:47:01 PM 

Time Spent: 00:00:23 

IP Address: 98.232.140.45 

Page 1 

Q1 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I am a high speed rail advocate, but have long realized that Americans "don't get it" when it comes to high speed rail, and probably neve1 

will. Alternatives 1 and 2 are not High Speed Rail. Nor are they even "Higher Speed Rail" in any meaningful sense. In 1950, Southern 

Pacific's Shasta Daylight too 2 hours and 25 minutes to go between Portland and Eugene. In Alternative 1, which I understand to be the 

preferred alternative, will only beat that time by 5 minutes at a cost of anywhere from 870 million to over 1 billion. This is a colossal 

waste of money. If this money "needs to be spent" it would be better to use it to build an exclusive high speed rail line between 

Portland and Vancouver as part of a true high speed rail line between Portland and Seattle. Mark me down as advocating for the nobuild alternative. 

Q2 First Name 

David 

Q3 Last Name 

Jorling 

Q4 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97034 

QS How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) Male 

92 / 119 
72 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

93 / 119 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Cc: 

Subject: 

Gracias ! 

Jessica Pickul 

Thursday, December 13, 2018 10:29 AM 

SELLERS Jennifer; Jessica B ull 

Hannah Mills 

RE: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

From: SELLERS Jennifer [mailto:Jennifer.SELLERS@odot.state.or.u s] 

Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2018 2:25 PM 

To: Jessica Pickul; Jessica Bull 

Subject: R: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment Comment 1-84 

Comment! 

Jennifer Sel lers 

Passenger Rail Program Manager 

ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division 

(503) 480-5556 

Jennifer.sellers@odot.state.or.us 

From: Harvey Kahler [mailto:harveyk400@gmail.com] 

Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2018 3:30 PM 

To: SELLERS Jennifer 

Subject: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

An 1 8-unit Taiga 8 train would have 438 seats (396c/42b) in a "Cascade" configuration for through service to Seattle 

or Vancouver and still be capable of 110 mph speeds w ith a single Siemes Charger locomotive based on estimates 

of weights. A commuter configuration for Portland is possible w ith 546 seats w ithout business class, food service, or 

baggage. 

Half-hour rush-hour frequencies would represent a half-lane of capacity on 1-5; and more frequent service would 

divert more demand, improve safety and air quality, and provide more affordable commuting . AAA estimated the 

average cost of commuting by auto to be $0.608 a mile in 201 3. Rail fares are much lower than that; and public 

support avoids the cost of adding often disruptive highway capacity in urban and environmentally sensitive areas. 

I am a retired transportation planner w ith a carreer in Illinois and I ndiana and interested in rail passenger services 

but w ith no affiliation w ith Talgo. Talgos are suitable for Cascade service; and it makes some sense to me that 

compatible equ ipment would be acquired for expanded fast, if not high-speed, service in Oregon. Should 

Washington bu ild a dedicated high-speed line, Taigas would offer interoperability for extended service through 

Oregon. More Taigas would be "off-the-shelf' and not require a waiver under revised regulations. Choosing the 

current Amtrak route seems to be the more pragmatic alternative since there seems to be no practical solution to 

rejoin the tracks at Oregon City from 1-5. Little improvement in alignment for higher-speed service would be gained; 

but this may be offset by public crossing improvement costs that were substantial for the Chicago-Saint Louis 

corridor. The current alignment curvature is mitigated by Taiga passive tilt-suspension trains. 

1 
Comment 1-85 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Thursday, December 1 3, 2018 9:58 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

DEIS comment and a sweet nod to Pl. .. 

From: Kristen Kalbrener [mailto:kkalbren@uoregon.edu) 

Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2018 8: 16 AM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Thank you for requesting comments! 

Your materials are very nicely assembled and organized in a way that makes it really feasible for those of us in the public 

to review, comprehend and comment. Kudos for that! 

I am a regular Amtrak user between Eugene and Tacoma - at least several times per year. I have an interest in the 

infrastructure as well as in the quality of service. 

First on service because I think that is especially critical to maintaining a positive image and public support for 

maintaining/upgrading rail service in the US. Your people are friendly and personable, both in the stations and on the 

trains. Maintenance is sorely lacking - often I find on the trains non-working restrooms, unclean restrooms etc. The 

website and interface with freq uent traveler site are antiquated and often frustrating in trying to use. ( I recently tried to 

change a one-way to a round trip and it would neither give me the opportunity to change, add-to or even easily start an 

additional reservation because of having one in the system already. Great waste of time and goodwill of the 

passenger.) Delayed trains/cancellations are handled poorly in terms of facilitating backup plans via bus etc. Last time it 

happened to me, one portion was supposedly no backup plan ----- just not acceptable. 

Back to track planning: 

I vote for Alternative One. I like the emphasis on track and safety upgrades. Going through central cities to facilitate 

higher ridership (remember to provide easy linkage to city buses in each!) Using existing stations not only saves money 

but rejuvenates what in many cases are historic building with great character. The environmental impact is minimized 

and I like that there are no right-of-way issues with alternative one. ( How u nfortunate when upgrades require moving 

people off their land/out of their homes!) 

Thank you again for the opportunity to comment. 

(from Peter DeFazio's district 4 in Oregon) 

Kristen Kalbrener MS. MA. CMM 

Program Manager, Global Education Oregon 

Academy Coach, NAFSA Region I 

Office of I nternational Affairs 

300W Oregon Hall 

5209 Universit of Oregon 

Eugene, OR 97403-5209 

Tel: 1 -541-346-1 238 

GEO Main: 1 -541 -346-3207 

1 
Eergency Onl 1-503-764-146 

geo.uoregon.edu 

2 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#8 

COMPLETE 

Comment 1-86 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Thursday, November 29, 2018 11 :38:42 AM 

Last Modified: Thursday, November 29, 2018 11 :46:49 AM 

Time Spent: 00:08:07 

IP Address: 97.120.190.182 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Yes, I do. 

When Oregon looks to the future, we need to have MUCH better services to greater outreach of cities. Presently, we have no service to 

coastal areas or central and Eastern Oregon. 

Keeping the original hubs are great, but allowing easy access to rail service, faster trains in areas that connect and creating true people 

movers. The Eastern corridor of the United States is a good example. 

02 First Name 

Tracy 

03 Last Name 

Kane 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97213 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

From Amtrak 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

12/119 
57 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

13/119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#54 

COMPLETE 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Saturday, December 15, 2018 12:06:38 PM 

Saturday, December 15, 2018 12:14:29 PM 

00:07:50 

174.224.7.65 

Comment 1-87 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I'm satisfied with the recommended Alternative 1 which follows the existing Amtrak Cascades passenger rail route with improvements in 

track, signals and communications. I'm a regular Amtrak rider between Portland and Eugene. It is ver common that my trains are late 

because of conflicts with freight trains. 

Benefits of Alternative 1: 

I'll be happy to have these improvements and hopefully have them sooner than with Alternative 2. I'm happy to have stations based in 

cities. It is important to me at conflicts with freight trains are minimized. I hope these improvements can be a priority. 

Concerns about Alternative 2: 

I believe the environmental impacts associated with Alternative 2 would be significant. I am especially concerned about agricultural 

lands that would impacted, and the environmental impact of raw materials needed for new stations and other infrastructure in Alternative 

2. 

In summary, I agree with the recommendation to go with Alternative 1, but hope that conflicts with freight can be adequately addressed 

with this priority. 

02 First Name 

Megan 

03 Last Name 

Kemple 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97402 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team, 

(Check all that apply.) Project 

mailer 

100 / 119 
47 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS SurveyMonkey 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

101 / 119 
Comment 1-8 

Note: 

-\ 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

DEIS comment 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 1 0, 2018 11 :02 AM 

Hannah Mills 

Comment 1-89 FW: Comments on passenger rail alternatives 

From: kingeider@tutanota.com [mailto:kingeider@tutanota.com] 

Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2018 9:04 PM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: Comments on passenger rail alternatives 

To project managers: 

I am more in support of alternative 2 for the future of passenger rail in Oregon. The alternative 1 concept keeps 

the conflicting uses of freight and passenger that we are currently dealing with. As we are expecting increases in 

both freight and passenger traffic, the conflicting situations, though mitigated somewhat, would be expected to 

return in the future. Dedicated passenger rail is the only way to alleviate these conflicts. 

This being said, I am not in favor of the Albany side trip being added. It would cause time delay and increase 

car/ ped/etc conflicts and danger. Albany has great access to the 1-5 corridor as is. 

The beginning of the route in Springfield is not a good concept, either. The addition of the 2 bridges (Main 

St/South A St south of Island Park and a new bridge crossing the Willamette at 1-5 and subsequent passage 

through the Eastgate Woodlands) could both easily be avoided by locating the origin of the route in North 

Springfield in the new Urban Growth Boundary addition east of l-5 north of the current development area used 

for the Royal Caribbean call center. This area is well served by mass transit with the bus rapid transit line, so 

location in downtown Springfield is not needed and cost savings of deleting 2 bridges would be significant. 

I also prefer the route getting to Portland area by following 205. Avoiding the west hills of Portland is another 

significant cost savings. 

Although the EIS clearly shows more impacts for route 2, I believe that mitigation and 

environmental improvements and cleanup to habitat could be part of route 2 such as to make the long term route 

2 project much lesser in impact and an actual environmental gain. 

Dedicated rail alongside 1-5 to me is the way to go. Please do not go with the " band aid" approach that is route 

2, it is sure to run into the same problems that impede this transportation mode today. Let's let freight have it's 

right of way to itself. 

We really need this project. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. 

Michael Koivula 

Springfield, OR 

1 
Comment 1-9 

Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

DEIS comment 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 10, 2018 11 :03 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: Additional comment 

From: kingeider@tutanota.com [mailto:kingeider@tutanota.com] 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 7: 50 AM 

To: Inf 

Subject: Additional comment 

Again, thanks for the opportunity to comment on passenger rail options. 

Again, I support option 2, the I-5 route. 

I forgot to include one additional recommendation that I believe would cost significantly less, make the route 

safer and improve speed. That would be to try as much as possible to tunnel rather than span as many of the 

roadway crossings along I-5. If these crossings are either bored or cut and filled to accommodate the rail lines it 

would eliminate the need for multiple bridges and vertical curves in the profile of the rail line. 

Elimination of the bridges will bring a huge decrease in cost, would reduce the distance that sound would travel 

from the rail lines, perhaps allowing for noise elimination barriers to reduce noise from both I-5 and the rail 

lines. 

Elimination of the bridges will also bring greater safety to all users of the 1-5 corridor. 

Michael Koivula 

Springfield, OR 

Securely sent with Tutanota. Claim your encrypted mailbox today! 

https :/ /tutanota. com 

1 
Comment 1-91 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 9:50 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: Pax Rail EIS Comments 

Did you get this original comment? 

From: Jdavej [mailto:jdavej@aol.com] 

Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 9:29 AM 

To: slmgrandor@comcast.net info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Cc: stefanoadams@icloud.com; dougallen@centurlink.net; pickandbow@aol.com; dave sandy@comcast.net; 

jimhowell89@hotmail.com; dona Id l@teleport.com; OregonRail@aol.com; fg moon@yahoo.com: jonnuxoll@usa.net; 

kennethipeters@msn.com; appoole@yahoo.com; DLRowe3162@aol.com; TimWWilson@aol.com 

Subject: Re: Pax Rail EIS Comments 

Bravo 

Dave J 

-----Original Message-----

From: ROBERT E KREBS <slmgrandor@comcast.net> 

To: info <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Cc: Adams, Steven <stefanoadams@icloudcom>; Allan, Doug <dougallen@centurlink.net>; David Arnold 

<pickandbow@aol.com> ; Crout, David <dave sandy@comcast.net>; Jim Howell <jimhowell89@hotmail.com>; Dave 

Jannuzzi, Dr. <JDaveJ@aol.com>; Donald Leap <donaldl@teleport.com>; Dan McFarling <OregonRail@aol.com>; J 

Michael Morrison <figmoon@yahoo.com>; Jon Nuxoll <jonnuxoll@usa.net>; Kenneth Peters 

<kennethipeters@msn.com>; Art Poole <appoole@yahoo.com>; Dave Rowe <DLRowe3162@aol.com>; Tim W Wilson 

<TimWWilson@aol.com> 

Sent: Tue, Dec 1 8, 201 8 2:30 pm 

Subject: Pax Rail EIS Comments 

Oregon Passenger Rail Draf EIS Comments 

Alternative 1 is the best choice for the rail corridor.It provides for incremental improvements to 

existing infrastructure, does not require purchasing new right of way and allows for gradual service 

improvements. Alternative 1 provides the best return for the tax dollars invested in the corridor. 

The problem with the current track alignment between EUG and POX is lack of capacity to handle 

more freight and passenger trains.This should be addressed by adding more PTC protected double 

track.The rural sections of the line would be fairly inexpensive to add track and eliminate some road 

crossing hazards. Alternative 1 addresses this need. 

To implement the plan a designated state funding source must be identified to pay for the 

infrastructure improvements. ODOT keeps waiting for the "fairy godmother" to bless the line with 

federal funding. This hasn't happened in this century and there has been no serious investment in 

the corridor since before 2005. The restricted capacity has prevented any passenger service 

improvements since 2000. 

State investment in the passenger rail corridor could have several benefits. 

1.Provide a match for Federal dollars if they become available. 

1 
2.Negotiate with the Union Pacific Railroad to apply some or all of the infrastructure 

investment to lower costs for passenger trains using the track. 

3.Rail improvements provide frequencies to supplement capacity restrictions on the 1-5 

Freeway at a lower cost. 

The Oregon Passenger Rail Service has been dormant for almost two decades with no additional 

train frequencies. Alternative 1. if funded, would provide the capacity to add more needed 

service, for both freight and passenger. 

Alternative 2 is a very costly alignment to raise train speeds. A new railroad would have to be built for 

12 to 16 trains a day. Not cost effective. 

Ultra High Speed Trains is not what will attract patrons. They want: 

1.Reasonable competitive run times between stations. Not high speed. 

2.Reliable on-time performance 

3.An attractive fare structure. 

4.Clean, modern, comfortable trains with service amenities like food and drinks. 

About 68% of all corridor trips travel through Portland and are more than 100 miles in length. To 

maximize ridership all trains should go beyond Portland or have a tight connection for a continuing 

journey. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the EIS which hopefully will end Oregon's Passenger 

Rail doldrums. 

Bob Krebs 

Retired ODOT Passenger Rail Coordinator 

3435 Bluff Avenue SE 

Salem Or 97302 

503-375-2821 

2 
Comment 1-92 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 8:26 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #559 (Russ Lathrop) 

COMMENT 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2018 6: 17 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #559 (Russ Lathrop) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 559 

FirstN rune Russ 

LastN ame Lathrop 

Alternative 2 looks to be a great option. It makes sense to have rail stops in cities that have 

Comment population densit. This is needed to keep up with population growth and to keep our roads from 

bring over used. 

Email Rustygraylathrop@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-03 8:16 PM modified 

IP Address 73.25.207.118 

Submission made: 2018-12-03 8:16 PM 

1 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 1 0:45 AM Comment 1-93 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #576 (Matt Laubach) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 2:47 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment # 576 (Matt Laubach) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 576 

FirstN rune Matt 

LastName Laubach 

I'm very happy to hear that you are increasing Amtrak service from Portland to Eugene. I enjoy 

riding to Portland on the train. It's not very scenic however because it goes into the industrial areas 

of towns used by freight trains. There are many delays waiting for other trains to use the tracks. Comment My first choice would be building tracks to support high speed rail. Second choice would be to 

build along 15. Third choice would be to improve existing tracks shared by freight trains. 

Thanks for listening 

Email matt@efn.org 

Last 2018-12-07 4:46 AM modified 

IP Address 73.164.213.233 

Submission made: 2018-12-07 4:46 AM 

1 
From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail Comment 1 -94 

Subject: QPR Comment #541 (Zachary Laurtzen) 

Date: Sunday, Novembr 04, 2018 7:07:26 AM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 541 

FirstName Zachary 

LastName Lauritzen 

OrganizationCitizen 

Thank you for this important work. I utilize the train whenever 

possible, however, my biggest hangup is when I have a deadline to 

make (airplane to catch, meeting to attend, etc.) and when I take 

the train I always run the risk of a major delay. My understanding is 

that is because the passenger train always gives right of way to the 

Comment freight service. Is this the case? If so, until that is addressed, it will 

be next to impossible for people like me who want to take the train 

for all trips from Eugene to the north (Salem, Portland, Seattle) but 

cannot risk multi-hour delays. 

Thank you for the work on this important effort! 

Email zacharylauritzen@gmail .com 

Last 2018-1 1-04 9:07 AM modified 

IP Address 67.171.242.181 

Submission made: 2018-11-04 9:07 AM 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#16 

COMPLETE Comment 1-95 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Sunday, December 02, 2018 9:10:41 PM 

Sunday, December 02, 2018 9:18:06 PM 

00:07:24 

172.79.123.126 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

For $800-$1 B this investment Alternative 1 seems to be a waste of money for 15 min decrease in route time and additional capacity. I'd 

expect a massive decrease in trip time for that level of investment. Alternative 2 didn't show any estimates on route time. This appears 

to be the more efficient route potentially capturing the largest ridership. I'm rather disappointed the leaders of the committee didn't 

recommend that one without explaining a reason why or why not. This might be the worst DEIS I've seen without much explaination. It 

appears that the committee's decision has already been made. 

02 First Name 

Blaine 

03 Last Name 

Lee 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97070 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? News 

(Check all that apply.) aricle 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

28 I 119 

37 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

29 I 119 
Comment 1-96
From: 

To: 

Subject: 

Date: 

PPB Website 

Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

QPR Comment #539 (Art Lewellan) 

Thurday, November 01, 2018 12:15:11 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 539 

FirstName Art 

LastName Lewellan 

Title Rail system designer 

OrganizationThe LOTi Project 

Comment 1-97 

Comment 

I support the Amtrak Cascades Line. It's diesel/electric locomotive is 

suitable for many Amtrak corridors, for instance, PDX to SLC to 

Denver, and, LA-LV-SLC. Higher speeds such as the Acela are simply 

too expensive to build nor necessary on many rail routes. TALGO 

manufactures a fine matching diesel/electric locomotive, the XI, 

which can raise a pantograph and run all electric where feasible. 

Since planning started, I've supported directly serving Corvallis, which 

would attract more patrons than the route through Tangent, Halsey 

and Harrisburg combined, especially between Corvallis and Eugene. 

Reducing trip time between Albany and Eugene along 1-5 is likewise 

unnecessary and unproductive. 

The other stretch of track I'm concerned about is Keiser to Wilsonville 

to Oregon City, which I prefer. However, Salem should have a 

station, and please consider the following: 

Portland is planning a MAX line to Tualatin. Oregon's main rail 

advocacy group AORTA does not support the Barbur Blvd route. I 

agree with them on that and on their proposal to convert the WES 

corridor to an extension of the MAX Red Line from Beaverton. WES 

trains would be decommissioned, but could run from Wilsonville to 

Salem on some complementary schedule. 

This combination of MAX Red Line at 15min service between 

Wilsonville and Beaverton should be considered: It affects ODOT 

plans for widening Hwy 217 and increases rail access for Washington 

County. Widening 217 may be necessary, but routing the MAX Red 

Line along the corridor provides motorists and Amtrak Cascades 

passengers with an ideal transit alternative sure to increase ridership 

on both rail systems. This MAX extension can have its planned stop 

at Bridgeport Village as long as from there, the line can further 

extend to Tualatin 'proper' and ultimately to Wilsonville. 

I'm sure you are aware of these possible alternative routes. You may 

not know that the impacts MAX would impose on Barbur Blvd are 

absolutely deplorable, nor that the development potential along 

Barbur is exaggerated; Barbur Blvd will remain a 35-45mph highway 

which does not bode well for a walkable neighborhood and wider 

crosswalks. Metro and Portland City Hall are not informing the public 
about the terrible impacts nor dubious development potential. A Bus 

Rapid Transit (BRT) line on Barbur Blvd is more suitable as well as 

impose less impact and cost. A BRT line may also generate more 

ridership than MAX on Barbur Blvd. 

At this point, I figure you're now thinking "We're only planning 2 

possible routes with no variations." If so, I'm disappointed and must 

recommend you tabulate the increased ridership possible with the 

variation of routes proposed in this commentary. 

PS: I am also proposing a CRC I-5 Bridge replacement design that 

salvages most of the commission's work. And, I'm finishing a bridge 

design for replacing the Marquam Bridge. I'm certain the Marquam 

will not be replaced with any tunnel nonsense. Both these bridge 

designs are 'single-deck' instead of 'double-deck'. I have drafted a 

new and much safer design for Hayden Island Access which I call 

"Low-Level" and, a design for realigning I-5 on the eastbank of the 

Willamette between Burnside and the Morrison/Belmont viaduct which 

is also rebuilt. These designs have all been submitted to Metro in a 

14-page 'pamphlet'. Finally, I support the Rose Quarter I-5 Rebuild. I 

do not believe it will worsen air pollution in the corridor as it should 

reduce the terribly stupid bottleneck between traffic exiting and 

entering I-5 South. Thanks ODOT for the fine work I've noted 

through the years. 

Email 

Options 

Email 

Last 

modified 

Response Requested 

lotilivo@gmail.com 

2018-11-01 2:15 PM 

IP Address 173.164.116. 25 

Submission made: 2018-11-01 2:15 PM 
Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

DEIS comment 

Jessica Pickul 

Monday, December 10, 2018 10:46 AM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

Comment 1 -98 

From: LIERMAN Walt [mailto:WALT.LIERMAN@dhsoha.state.or.us) 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 7:54 AM 

To: info@oregonpassengerrail.org 

Subject: OPR DEIS Online Open House Comment 

I currently am a monthly rider on Cascades 511/508. I have been riding for almost 4 years. I leave from the Oregon City 

station and travel to Salem returning in the evening. 

If I understood the material, I would opt for Alternative 1. I am biased in a sense because I want service to Oregon City 

maintained. When the early morning Cascades schedule ( ~ 6:20 a.m. in OC) was dropped starting in 2017(? I believe) 

Oregon City was precluded from consideration of the bus from Union Station in the morning -because Portland 

passengers would be "put out" by stopping at OC before going to Salem and points beyond. Now the only morning rail 

service SB is the 10:10 a.m. -not really a working commuter's schedule. ( I know that the C word -commuter -is 

frowned upon. But that's what I use it for!) 

So please treat OC as a full-fledged partner in any alternative that is ultimately decided upon. 

In summary, I would support Alternative 1 as it stands. The only change I would suggest is to somehow include 

Wilsonville in Alternative 1. It is increasingly becoming more used by DHS/OHA for meetings and conferences. But it is 

very inconvenient to get to. The Tri-Met WES is okay but you have to go to Beaverton TC or some other intermediate 

point and once you are in Tualatin -why not drive the remaining couple miles? IMHO, Wilsonville is a perfect example 

of a poorly planned suburban area (I guess it is a suburb?? Or just a place with a bunch of people living in it, jacked up 

pickups speeding - perhaps the drivers think they are in eastern Oregon -Baker City maybe, and overall congestion) that 

was made expressly for cars. The cars are driven fast, pedestrians and bicyclists are put at risk. So maybe an Amtrak 

through there could begin to address some of the congestion and over-abundance of cars? 

VOTE: Alt 1 

Walt Lierman, Ph.D. 

OHA, Health Analytics 

1 
Comment 1°99 

...<oregQD.lil\SseμgefRaiI 

Eug�ne - PQrland 

CHOOSINGAPATH FORWARD 

DEISiColment Form 

Do you have anycomments on the Alterrttives presented 

in the .D.EIS? 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following information: 

First Name: 

• How d you hear about tis open house & public hearing? 

Email from the project team 

0 My employer 

� News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

0 Community Newsletter 

9', Other (please specify}: 

Thank you fr your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Comment 1-100 

Hannah Mills 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Subject: 

Jessica Pickul 

Tuesday, December 11, 2018 3:20 PM 

Hannah Mills 

FW: OPR Comment #589 (Joan Lloyd) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 2:54 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #589 (Joan Lloyd) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 589 

FirstN rune Joan 

LastName Lloyd 

I agree that Alternative 1 is the most cost effective but if there is a possibility of having high speed 

Comment trains someday on that same line, I do not want that alternative. We fairly recently got a quiet zone 

in Salem and ifthere are high speed trains the horns would have to be reinstated. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email je1lo879@gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-11 4:53 PM modified 

IP Address 71.238.17.147 

Submission made: 2018-12-11 4:53 PM 

1 
Comment 1-101 Tell us about yourself 

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• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

Last Name: --�-----�- .......... ·-�----__..,... -+----------------

Zip Code: __9_,_')_�_,� 1ft)__________ _ 

Email: Ml\�@,,�� Pu,k!lic;G,'rvy"Cbw" 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

� Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

� News arti'Cle 

0 Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

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□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
Oregon Passenger Rail 

POL 11.,..&"ll.J!..&� 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Comment 1-102 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 5:41 PM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: Fwd: OPR Comment #566 (moises Lucero) 

Demi's comment 

Best, 

Jessica 

Begin forwarded message: 

From: OPR Website <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Date: December 4, 2018 at 4:30:00 PM PST 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail <info@oregonpassengerrail.org> 

Subject: OPR Comment #566 (moises Lucero) 

Reply-To: moises Lucero <moiseslucero31@hotmail.com> 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 566 

FirstName m01ses 

LastName Lucero 

I definitely like the idea of the "Cascadia high speed rail" that would follow the 1-5 corridor. 

Would it be possible to consider the same system through the yellow area, Corvallis, McMinnville Comment newburg etc. 

Would frequency and departure times be affected by certain alternate routes? 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email moiseslucero3 l@hotmail.com 

Last 2018-12-04 6:30 PM modified 

IP Address 165.225.50.94 

Submission made: 2018-12-04 6:30 PM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#58 

COMPLETE 

Comment 1-103 

Collector: 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Time Spent: 

IP Address: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Monday, December 17, 2018 4:56:51 PM 

Monday, December 17, 2018 5:05:03 PM 

00:08:12 

198.98.9.2 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Either Alt #1 or Alt #2 seem to be better than no action. But it is not clear if either Alternatives would eliminate the frequent conflict 

between passenger and freight trains. Would passenger trains need to wait until freight trains pass, or would there be additional tracks 

to resolve that conflict? 

I like the faster travel times that Alt #2 provides, but I need to know more about the environmental impacts and how the higher cost will 

be paid (with higher taxes, or ticket fares?). 

02 First Name 

Matt 

03 Last Name 

Lutter 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97405 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Community 

(Check all that apply.) newsleter 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

108 / 119 

42 
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Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

109 / 119 
Comment 1-104 

_ Oregon Passenger __;___.._.. _ - Po 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the following information: 

First Name: 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

□ Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

� News aricle 

□ Word of mouth 

D Project mailer 

D Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you fr your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
From: 

To: 

Subject: 

Date: 

PPB Website 

Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

QPR Comment #535 (Karl MacNair) 

Wednesday, Octobr 31, 2018 1:16:35 PM 

Comment 1-lOa 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 535 

FirstName Karl 

LastName MacNair 

Title Citizen 

OrganizationPublic 

Comment 

Email 

Options 

Email 

The DEIS Alternative 2 states that a 120 mph max speed was 

studied. The Shinkansen, which has been operating since the 1960's 

operates between 150 and 200 mph top speed. Based on this alone, 

I would argue that the analysis of Alt 2 is flawed and that the study 

had a bias toward Alt 1 from the start and begs the question, why 

isn't ODOT taking a serious look at true high speed rail (HSR)? 

The Transportation Planning Rule's purpose is to reduce VMT 

statewide. I believe the best way to do that is to provide attractive 

alternatives to driving. I don't believe shaving 15 minutes off current 

travel times is going to get anyone to leave their car at home in favor 

of the train. In order to get a mode shift, we need to make train 

travel faster and more reliable than a car. True HSR has a chance of 

doing that, but at this point we still don't have the data to tell us 

what it could do because the DEIS didn't study anything over 

120mph. I realize that a ton of work went into this DEIS, which is 

why I'm so disappointed that it seems to have ignored the call for a 

true HSR study. I really think ODOT needs to take another look at it 

with a true HSR system modeled afer the HSR systems in other 

countries. 

Aside from that, I applaud the work of staff to identify potential 

improvements that can be made incrementally on the existing line. 

This is a good first step toward an eventual HSR line; it is not HSR. 

As for next steps, I'd like to see ODOT establish a funding plan for 

the incremental improvements AND start a new study that figures out 

how to build a true HSR system. Look at California's plan. It hasn't 

been smooth, but they are doing it. 

The only thing I'd like a response on is why was 120mph picked as 

the top speed when other countries and states are able to get 

200mph? 

Thank you, 

Karl MacNair 

Response Requested 

macnair.enginerd@gmail.com 
Last 2018-10-31 3:16 PM modified 

IP Address 63.155.151.115 

Submission made: 2018-10-31 3:16 PM 
From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail Comment l-10b 

Subject: QPR Comment #536 (Karl MacNair) 

Date: Wednesday, Octobr 31, 2018 1:20:07 PM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 536 

FirstName Karl 

LastName MacNair 

Title Citizen 

OrganizationPublic 

The state of Oregon needs to look at passenger rail needs outside the 

Willamette Valley. In order to meet the state's planning goals of 

Comment reducing VMT and building compact communities, a viable alternative 

to cars is needed. A serious state-wide investment in passenger rail is 

only logical. 

Email macnair.enginerd@gmail.com 

Last 2018-10-31 3:19 PM modified 

IP Address 63.155.151.115 

Submission made: 2018-10-31 3:19 PM 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:46 AM 

To: Hannah Mills Comment 1-106 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #578 (Josh Mars) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 6:59 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #578 (Josh Mars) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 578 

FirstName Josh 

LastName Mars 

I favor the no-build option in the DEIS. The present demand for passenger rail doesn't exist to 

justify the mammoth cost of this pet-project, regardless of where the funding is sourced. There is a Comment greater demand for improved and expanded roadways for passenger vehicles which should be the 

focus of ODOT. 

Email jmars247@yahoo.com 

Last 2018-12-07 8:59 AM modified 

IP Address 63.155.89.145 

Submission made: 2018-12-07 8:59 AM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#56 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Sunday, December 16, 2018 2:58:02 PM 

Last Modified: Sunday, December 16, 2018 3:06:12 PM Comment 1-107 

Time Spent: 00:08:10 

IP Address: 76.14.251.48 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I appreciate all the work that has been done, and will continue to be done, by ODOT. 

I fully support improvements to the Amtrak Cascades system. 

Of the 3 Alternatives offered I strongly support Alternative #2, a new route following 15. 

My second choice is Alternative #1, improvements to existing route. 

I do not support Alternative #3, no changes/improvements. 

Thank you!! 

02 First Name 

Cindy 

03 Last Name 

Massaro 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97392 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? News 

(Check all that apply.) aricle 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

104 / 119 
61 

Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

105 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#1 2 

COMPLETE 

Collector: 

Started: 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Friday, November 30, 2018 8:52:19 PM Comment 1-108 

Last Modified: Friday, November 30, 2018 8:56:25 PM 

Time Spent: 00:04:06 

IP Address: 73.25. 156.177 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

This is a huge investment for a minimal gain in travel time. At 120mph, only 30min faster than present Cascades? Why is there not an 

overt goal of <2h, or about 75mph average speed. 2nd world speeds, disappointing. Example: From London Kings Cross to 

Peterborough is about 90 miles, max speed 125, average speed non-stop 104mph, last time I rode. UK does not have true high speed, 

but engineers very good average speeds nonetheless. We need to emulate them! 

02 First Name 

Geoffrey 

03 Last Name 

McCarth 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97210 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Other (please 

(Check all that apply.) specify): 

AORTA 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Male 

QB What is your age? 

20 I 119 

77 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

21 / 119 
'-----____.I 1

' ' _Comment l-109 

_ 

· 

• Oregon Passenger Rail .. Eugene - Portl d 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD 

DEIS Comment Form 

Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented 

in the DEIS? 

(See reverse) 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide 

Jk

the fllowing information: 

First Name: ______,.._________________ Last Name: --�--c_(_0_v-..1<.-____________ 

• How did you hear about this open house & publc hearing? 

� Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 9721 4 
� 

Comment 1-110 

From: 

To: nforeoooasseooerail c,g Subject: ATT: JenrifE Salers,OOOTPassenoerRail Proorar MamQ 

Date: SLnday, Octcer 28, 2018 8:53:46 AM 

I received Wlo not ces in the mail today re public hearings on this matter I already responded to this in person the last time you had a public hearing on this matter _ how long

ago? I would have thought you'd be f nished with the project by this time instead of continuing to stu ry it and have more public hearings 

As I said before--Route #2--the West Woodburn route. Woodburn is already so noisy that ny granddaughter from Porland (3 years old) wakes up in the middle of the night 

crying that it is so noisy that she can t sleepll I've complained about that too. having moved from Salem when ODOT "improved" the Market Street exit to a quieter 

neighborhood in Woodburn, but then the traffic "improvements" and the train are so loud that it assaults my elder� ears! I thought it was just because I was gett ng old, but

when my 3-year-old granddaughter awakens, crying, and has to sleep with a pillow over her head, I know something is intrinsically wrong! Noise pollution! 

I also think you should run a commuter train on the Union Pacific tracks between Woodburn»Mt Angel»Silvenon, Does that line also go to Stayton and Scio? A Mt Angel 

man told me that they've already spent $50,000 conducting a study on that matter, but that Union Pacific blocked the implementat on because "they run freight on that line," 

and they can t mix freight and commuters. Rea ly???

Please--get the job done! No more $$$ spent on "studies." Get t done in ny lifietime! We've been talking about this since I moved to Oregon in 1952!!! THANK YOU!!! 
a.. rel/e::.�bf--tP � hd 

c

P�t:ere;7?t' 

gr�g�i��Ili:tgerx ai ..

.... .

.

• ·· < • ·

· .\ · · .. Eμg�Ile ... �orl.tnd 

Do you hav� any comment$ on. the Alternatives presented in 

the DEIS? 

� 

.. >, 

f'Vot-4 Y: l'r• �-,,, � t2ne1('···•fr:'�"',,- ; 
---------------

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing infrmation: 

Last Name: /!4C �✓/j n tt _/ 

Email: Oree;v Y1 /?e:, 1 I <fi::> �o/ Co r,-, 

-----✓

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

�Email from the project team 

□ My employer 

□ News article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111e0 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 9721e4 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 1 0:45 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #577 (Chris McLaughlin) Comment 1-112 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 6:16 AM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #577 (Chris McLaughlin) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 577 

FirstN rune Chris 

LastName McLaughlin 

Choose which ever track is financially feasible to upgrade to a high speed rail system. We need 

something to bring the Oregon and the U.S. into the modem times like other countries. A high 

speed rail would excite the public again into using train system as the current system we have is 

much slower than even traveling by car. This would allow for travel for both tourism and also for 

employment commutes. Look at the new Hong Kong high speed rail line as an example of the 

Comment positive impacts it would have on the statewide economy and lowering the traffic congestion on I-5. 

We can't keep using our antiquated systems expecting to experience increases in ridership. We have 

to adapt and embrace the future if we want to move forward as a community and a nation. That's 

why I feel even out of all the options posted the most important is the one not mentioned. Please 

consider the great economic benefit of having the first high-speed rail line in the Pacific Northwest 

would have for us. We can't afford to be stuck in the last century. 

Email chris.m.mclaughlinl l @gmail.com 

Last 2018-12-07 8: 15 AM modified 

IP Address 64.9.255.16 

Submission made: 2018-12-07 8:15 AM 

1 
Comment 1-113 

From: PPB Website 

To: Oreaon Passenaer Bail 

Subject: QPR Comment #527 (Seaton McLennan) 

Date: Monday, Otober 22, 2018 10:46:45 AM 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 527 

FirstName Seaton 

LastName McLennan 

Title Former Mayor of Tangent 

OrganizationCity of Tangent, OR 

1. Using the current rail line along 99E for high speed rail will 

negatively impact the current communities: Tangent, Shedd, Halsey, 

Harrisburg, especially with any closures to achieve the higher speed 

rating. 

Comment 2. Response time for the Tangent Rural Fire Dept. will be increased. 

3. Using the I-5 corridor will achieve a higher speed rating. 

Development of infrastructure, businesses and other financial 

improvements will be good for the state economy. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email s.mclennan@comcast.net 

Last 2018-10-22 12:46 PM modified 

IP Address 140.211.14.250 

Submission made: 2018-10-22 12:46 PM 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#55 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: Friday, December 14, 2018 3:14:18 PM 

Last Modified: Sunday, December 16, 2018 11:11:41 AM Comment 1-114 

Time Spent: Over a day 

IP Address: 63.155.13.99 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I support Alternative 1 to build new capacity along the existing passenger rail route. I am very opposed to Alternative 2 as proposed. 

do not support building new bridges across rivers nor do I support routing rail lines through natural areas like Eastgate Woodlands in 

Springfield. The cost of Alternative 2 is excessive and I think limited resources can be used along the existing route. I look forward to 

seeing final designs for Alternative 1. 

02 First Name 

Vicky 

03 Last Name 

Mello 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97401 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Female 

QB What is your age? 

102 / 119 

66 
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Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

103 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#21 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) Comment 1-115 

Started: Monday, December 03, 2018 10:18:03 PM 

Last Modified: Monday, December 03, 2018 10:29:07 PM 

Time Spent: 00:11:03 

IP Address: 67.160.159.14 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

For the short term option 1 makes sense as it serves existing centers and stations and improvements can be made incrementally. 

A double track for the entire length should be part of the plan and the ask for funding. The primary use of the second track would be for 

passenger service. 

We need to plan for a tunnel from the Brooklyn yard into Union station or work on a freight tunnel to bypass the central east side. Either 

way 10mph speed and the land use constraints in this area are unacceptable when looking to the future. 

02 First Name 

JR 

03 Last Name 

Merrick 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97202 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Email from the project team 

(Check all that apply.) 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, No 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Respondent skipped this question 

QB What is your age? Respondent skipped this question 

38 I 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) Respondent skipped this question 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) Respondent skipped this question 

39 I 119 
Comment l-116 

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-< .ii i .··. • ii:μg�ne - Portliu-14 

CHOOSING APATH FORWARD '' · . _.-_ -._ -:'. . 

DEIStGomlent· Jorm' ,.·., 

De> you have any .coniments on the Alternatives 

in the DEIS? 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

Zip Code: 

Email: 

• How did you hear about tis open house & public hearg? 

□ Email from the project team 

0 My employer 

0 News article 

'jil-Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

0 Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
l Comment l-117 

�tf,8.�'!ffi!�,itl�� 

CHOOSING A PATH FORWARD . -,: , · . _,_

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·

••Forin 

Po xqu pave· any comm�ntsonthe tlter�tiye� presentedJn 

the DEIS? 
Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing infrmation: 

First Name: _{ __ �_s_� __"Y\_________ 

• How did you hear about this open house & public hearing? 

0 Email from the project team 

0 My employer 

0 News article 

0 Word of mouth 

0 Project mailer 

62(' Community Newsletter 

0 Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

1110 SE Alder St., Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 

Tell us about yourself 

This information helps us improve our outreach in the future. 

• Please provide the fllowing information: 

First Name: 

Zip Code: __________________ 

• How d you hear about this oen house & public hearing? 

[1)--/ Email from the project team 

.□ My employer 

□ News· article 

□ Word of mouth 

□ Project mailer 

□ Community Newsletter 

□ Other (please specify): 

Thank you for your comments! 

Please leave this form with a staff person or mail to: 

Oregon Passenger Rail 

c/o JLA Public Involvement 

111 0 SE Alder St. , Suite 301 

Portland, Oregon 97214 
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OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-2 

MS . NEEL : Deborah , D-E -B-O-R-A-H . 

THE REPORTER : And your last name ? 

MS . NEEL : N-E-E-L . I l ive in West Linn . 

So I used to commute from Salem to Port l and in a van 

pool . And I decided a fter s itt ing in traffic for an 

hour and a half betwe en Wi lsonville and Port land, 

downt own Port l and , each way, that it wa s not 

product ive . There had to be a bet ter alternat ive 

and it meant moving, so I moved from Salem to West 

Linn . 

Now that I ' m in West Linn , I still have an 

i s sue wi th acces s to public transport at i on because 

there isn 't any . I c an take a bus . The No . 35 bus 

takes approximat ely an hour and a hal f and arrives 

in downt own Portland, and doe s n 't go across the 

rive r . I happen to work at the Lloyd Center so then 

I have to get on the MAX and t ake an addit i onal leg . 

So my commute t ime each way is two hour s , which I 

might as we ll have s t ayed in S alem for . 

So my question is if the City of Port l and 

is l ooking at ext ending the MAX l ine from Port l and 

down to Tualatin , and they think that 's a feasible 

alternat ive , why is the railroad not looking at that 

s ame corridor? Why are they tel ling me that tunnels 

are too expens ive or that pol itics are not in favor 

Cmment 1-119 

NAEG ELI ('�,.M, ,,:,�::') {800) 528- 3335 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL "0 ,. 0>' NAEG ELI USA.COM 
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N A E G E L I ' {!j!,,_''1,0 ') (so o) s 2 s - 3 3 3 s (

OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-2 Page 9 

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of it? I don 't think either one of tho se argument s 

stands a chance if the MAX line obviously refut es 

both tho se arguments by s aying that 's go ing to be 

the ir new track l ine . So I find that there 's 

insuffi cient s tudy of that opt i on . 

And the opt i on to go down 205 and cross 

the rive r and go int o the conge sted Ore gon City rail 

l ine area could be the death of that opt ion 

completely . Because , you know, it 's a very tight 

corridor up on that s ide . I t 's j ust as tight as 

go ing from Tualat in north along route 5. So I would 

challenge the cho ice of Al t ernative 1, and s ay that 

it 's not very far forward thinking . 

If you want to l ook at the future of 

tran sportat ion in this area de cade s from now, then 

you need to l ook at the mo st real i stic achi evable 

rout e, but also the mo st e fficient rout e that 's 

go ing to alleviat e commut er traffic from the s outh 

of Port l and through Portland go ing north . Because 

commuter traffic comb ined with shipping , freight 

traffic is the problem . And when you add l ocal 

traffic to that , it 's a ni ghtmare . There 's no way 

around i t . There 's no alternat ive . There 's no 

re lief . 

A t rain system that e ffectively worked 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL ,,,,,f;:i,; NAEG ELI USA.COM 
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('�,.M, ,,:,�::') {800)5 28-3335 

OR Passenger Rail Meeting November 28, 201 8 NOT Assgn # 281 38-2 Page 10 

from north to south would real ly make a di f ference 

on the rout e 5 co rridor load that it 's carrying for 

vehicle t raffic . I have fami ly that frequent ly come 

from Salem to Ore gon City by t rain . They o ften wait 

20 to 35 minutes for their turn at the t rac ks to 

come down to Oregon City because they ' re a pas s enger 

train and they don 't have pri ority on the freight 

l ine . And I don't think adding a l ine in that 

corridor is go ing to completely change that i s sue . 

Especial ly if the fre i ght - - if the rai l road 

compani es that do the fre i ght l ines control that 

real estate . 

So again , I think there 's s ome real 

obstacles on that route that c ould torpedo the who le 

effort in the near term. So I j ust wanted to voice 

my opini on . 

THE REPORTER : Thank you . 

(Conclusion of public comment .) 

"0 ,. 0>' NAEG ELI USA.COM 

NAEG ELI 

DEPO SITI ON AND TRIAL 
Comment 1-120 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2018 4:17 PM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #558 (Cynthia Noblitt) 

Comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2018 3:58 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #558 (Cynthia Noblitt) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 558 

FirstN rune Cynthia 

LastName Noblitt 

Title small business owner/operator 

Organization Deep Woods Distillery 

I believe Alternative 1 is the best option, as long as service improvements include a stop in 

Oakridge OR. I am a strong supporter of rail transportation, but I do not think a new route is Comment 

necessary, and if it is done in order to allow for so called high speed trains, I don't think that 

expense is worth the extra few minutes gained. 

Email cnoblitt@peak.org 

Last 2018-12-03 5:58 PM modified 

IP Address 63.155.163.16 

Submission made: 2018-12-03 5:58 PM 

1 
Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 11 :02 AM 

Comment 1-121 To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #586 (Jennene Norblad) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mailto: info@oregonpassengerrail.org] 

Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2018 6:52 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #586 (Jennene Norblad) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 586 

FirstNrune Jennene 

LastName Norblad 

Title Citizen/Train User 

Organization Umpqua Bank 

I was unable to attend in person the presentation of the three options, but in reviewing the 

information it appears that the proposal design process did not have significant input from citizen 

prior to the evaluate stage and was done in a slow, vacuum-like of perspective of ODOT. 

As a result, it appears that none of the three proposals have a phased or hybrid approach to 

making improvements. Also the design approach process doesn't appear to consider many of the 

changes in the economy of Oregon, generational changes and even current congestion issues in 

the solutions. 

I've been using the Amtrak Cascades line for over 15 years, having gone the full span of the track 

from Eugene to Vancouver with more frequent travel between the other stops. In the early days, 

when I've commented in the past to Amtrak about possible improvements, it has been focused on 

time, speed, and reliability. These fronts have greatly improved in recent years, especially in Comment terms of perspective to automobile routes that have become increasingly dangerous and time 

consuming. In a very short time, the 2. 5 hour train trip from Eugene to Portland, has gone from 

"too long" to perfectly acceptable and often times less time consuming and more reliable than 

driving. Now, the things that I wish the rail service would provide are more connectivity to other 

mass transit ( connect to MAX?, Free Park and Ride, buses, bicycle storage/transport, etc.), stops 

near other major cities/junctions (Wilsonville, Tigard/Lake Oswego, Woodburn, Keizer, 

connectivity to Washington County), better marke ting to expose more users to the rail options 

and to really consider long-term fast passenger rail solutions. 

While the simulations in the designs are very important work, it seems like all of the designs 

seem to leave out the opportunity to engage the local transportation and local governments to also 

elevate their game and work together. In the short time of this proposal being advertising via 

media outlets it seems like I've seen a lot of truly great out ideas come out of friends and family, 

1 
Email 

Last 

modified 

IP Address 

that aren't even remotely on the radar of these designs. This is a HUGE missed opportunity, but I 

can't tell if this is due to the scope of what the state is able to do or because we aren't trying to 

actually prepare for the future need and/or address the immediate needs. 

Additionally, it appears that in this evaluate stage, there are no space for the public comment to 

improve the options, only to decide between the three options - which have been proposed in a 

classic, too little, moderate, and too much, so that we as a public will fall for not even considering 

high-speed rail due to cost, and then land on the do nothing or barely doing anything options. 

Using more advanced design thinking techniques, we should have seen this public outreach much 

earlier in the process. We should have seen a broader diversity in the leadership committee of the 

project, that included citizen and actual train users of different ages. And most importantly, the 

evaluate stage shouldn't feel like the end of the road to creating better ideas or options to adjust to 

the changing environment and needs of Oregon. 

I'm in full agreement with Governor Brown that the rail system in Oregon is one of the most 

underutilized transportation options we have. I hope that ODOT, the leadership committee, and 

program coordinators for this effort are committed to actually improving the state of the rail 

system in the Willamette Valley and will consider a broader array of solutions from 

improvements. 

Please at a minimum, consider: 

1. Better bicycle storage/transport for Amtrak riders, where they can transport their bicycles in 

their own storage containers and where locked long-term bicycle parking is available at each 

station. 

2. A stop and connection on the south end of the Portland-metro area that could connect to 

existing or future MAX lines. 

3. Private-public or inter agency partnerships to improve existing ridership, including: 

a. building alliances between local hotels and Amtrak for shuttle pick-ups/advertisement, etc. 

b. Coordination between University of Oregon and Amtrak to provide packaged incentives to 

event attendees travelling between Portland and Eugene for UO personnel and special events -

such as Duck Football games. 

c. discussion with local transportation groups to find additional ways to improve the user 

experience from Amtrak to other modes to get around the cities. 

4. If maintaining the existing line, a station stop in Woodburn or other passed by cities to allow 

for additional flexibility in train travel. 

5. If a decision is made for the least costly option, there needs to be a plan to start planning for 

the inevitable need for high-speed rail in some part of the state, even if it is between the The 

Dalles/Bend, instead of the Willamette Valley as a test project. We have got to make a serious 

investment in our future transit needs in order to stay competitive in the next century. A 'No' to 

high speed rail, cannot be a 'No' forever. 

jennenenorblad@gmail.com 

2018-12-09 8:51 PM 

71.237.171.112 

Submission made: 2018-12-09 8:51 PM 

2 
Comment 1-122 

Hannah Mills 

From: Jessica Pickul 

Sent: Monday, December 1 0, 2018 1 0:45 AM 

To: Hannah Mills 

Subject: FW: OPR Comment #575 (Phillip Norman) 

DEIS comment 

From: OPR Website [mai1to:info@oregonpassengerrail.org1 

Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2018 5:28 PM 

To: Oregon Passenger Rail 

Subject: OPR Comment #575 (Phillip Norman) 

There has been a submission made through the OPR Comment Form 2: 

ID 575 

FirstName Phillip 

LastN ame Norman 

Title Owner 

Organization Attic Access 

The demand that plans are consistent with those in California and Washington, means highest 

hopes everywhere must prevail. A 50% boost in ridership on slow trains is not wanted. We need 

rail service to far surpass auto and air transportation, for example between Salem and Olympia. 

Comment We need ridership to increase by orders of magnitude for the plan horizon. The horizon must 

extend past 2035 and must be guided gy achievements in Europe. Swiss engineers are ready to 

help, fully trained in high speed rail opportunities met and now ended. Available NOW. Not in 

twenty years. 

Email Response Requested Options 

Email pjnorman@grnail.com 

Last 2018-12-06 7:27 PM modified 

IP Address 67.189.77.82 

Submission made: 2018-12-06 7:27 PM 

1 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

#59 

COMPLETE 

Collector: Online Open House (Web Link) 

Started: 

Last Modified: 

Monday, December 17, 2018 5:34:26 PM 

Monday, December 17, 2018 5:37:13 PM Comment 1-123 

Time Spent: 00:02:47 

IP Address: 204.98.74.133 

Page 1 

01 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

I'm excited that this plan is being talked about and considered. I hope Alternative 1 doesn't actually use the rail that Amtrak runs on, 

since that rail is also used by the freight lines which actually own the lines and have higher priority. 

Purely selfishly I hope any high-speed/direct rail will start in Eugene rather than Springfield. 

02 First Name 

Sigh 

03 Last Name 

O'Nara 

04 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97402 

05 How did you hear about this online open house? Community 

(Check all that apply.) newsleter 

06 Will you answer some questions about your gender, Yes 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

07 Gender (Check one.) Respondent skipped this question 

QB What is your age? 

110 / 119 

41 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS Survey Monkey 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) White 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) English 

111 / 119 
Oregon Passenger Rail DEIS 

#7 

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Page 1 

Online Open House (Web Link) 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 5:43:59 PM 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 5:45:54 PM 

00:01 :54 

73.157.224.71 

Q1 Do you have any comments on the Alternatives presented in the DEIS? 

Survey Monkey 

Comment 1-124 

More priority to passenger service ... currently the rail service puts the freight trains first with some delays to passenger (Amtrak) service 

Q2 First Name 

Pat 

Q3 Last Name 

Q4 Zip Code (Primary Residence) 

97304 

Q5 How did you hear about this online open house? 

(Check all that apply.) 

Q6 Will you answer some questions about your gender, 

age, and ethnicity? 

Page 2 

Q7 Gender (Check one.) 

QB What is your age? 

Q9 Your Race/Ethnicity (Check all that apply.) 

Q10 Languages spoken at home (Check all that apply.) 

Respondent skipped this question 

News 

aricle 

No 

Respondent skipped this question 

Respondent skipped this question 

Respondent skipped this question 

Respondent skipped this question 

11 / 119