page_title: Salem, Oregon
section_title: Transportation
hierarchical_section_title: Salem, Oregon / Infrastructure / Transportation
caption_attribution_description: The Salem Amtrak station, built in 1918 by Southern Pacific Railroad, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Our railroad station has been the focus of local attention for almost a hundred years. Built in 1918 to replace an earlier structure that burned, it was once the center point for transportation out of the city by both freight and passengers. Agricultural products from our abundant crops as well as families traveling to see relatives up and down our state, used the railway as the principal carrier. As trucking and private transportation in the family car made train travel less popular, the station gradually lost customers until the condition of the building became critical. In the mid 1990s, the Oregon Department of Transportation took possession of the property. A $2.6 million renovation project was paid for by federal and state grants. The station received modern wiring, plumbing and heating. The 24-foot lobby ceiling was retained as well as the marble wainscot. A ticket counter of black marble was added and two 30-inch globe lights were recreated from drawings of the originals. Amtrak leases use of the railway station for $1 a year. As a condition of the lease, Amtrak keeps the station clean and maintains the grounds. &gt;&gt;&gt;from the Salem Historical Quarterly
context_page_description: Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.
  Salem had a population of 174,365 in 2019, making it the second-largest city in the state after Portland. Salem is a little under an hour's driving distance away from Portland. Salem is the principal city of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan area that covers Marion and Polk counties and had a combined population of 390,738 at the 2010 census. A 2019 estimate placed the metropolitan population at 400,408, the state's second largest. This area is, in turn, part of the Portland-Vancouver-Salem Combined Statistical Area.
  The city is home to Willamette University, Corban University, and Chemeketa Community College. The State of Oregon is the largest public employer in the city, and Salem Health is the largest private employer.
context_section_description: Cherriots, an independent government agency, provides fixed-route bus service, rideshare matching, and paratransit/lift services for the disabled, within the urban growth boundary. They also operate Cherriots Regional, previously known as Chemeketa Area Regional Transportation System (CARTS), which provides bus service that connects Salem to destinations as far north as Wilsonville, as far west as Dallas, and to the east to Silverton and up the Santiam Canyon to Mill City. Cherriots, in cooperation with Wilsonville's SMART, provides routes between downtown Salem and Wilsonville. From Wilsonville, WES Commuter Rail connects to TriMet routes in Beaverton, including MAX Light Rail.
  Greyhound Lines provides north–south service and connecting carrier service to Bend, Oregon, from the Salem Amtrak station.
  Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, leases the Salem Depot from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The Coast Starlight provides daily north–south service to cities between Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington.  Amtrak Cascades trains, operating as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, serve Salem several times daily in both directions.
  HUT Airport Shuttle provides transportation to Portland International Airport. HUT also serves Corvallis with a second stop at Oregon State University, Albany, and Woodburn. Mountain Express provides transportation between Salem and Bend.
  McNary Field (Salem Municipal Airport) is owned and operated by the City of Salem. It serves primarily general aviation and the Oregon National Guard – Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF). Delta Connection offered commercial air service with two daily flights to Salt Lake City, Utah, from July 2007. However, citing fuel costs versus a load factor of less than 85 percent, the service was discontinued in October 2008. The city plans to go forward with airport improvements that were announced when service was commenced, including a longer runway and an expanded terminal building.
  The city is served by the following highways:
  Interstate 5
  Oregon Route 99E
  Oregon Route 99E Business is a spur of the above, serving the downtown area
  Oregon Route 22
  Oregon Route 221
  Oregon Route 51
  Oregon Route 213
caption: Built in 1918, Salem's passenger train depot serves Amtrak and Greyhound.
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