(The following editorial appeared on The Olympian website on May 24, 2011.)
OLYMPIA, Wash. — More reliable train service should be in the future for Amtrak passengers on the Cascades line through Western Washington.
That’s because the state accepted $780 million in federal stimulus money aimed at improving rail transportation.
Washington State Department of Transportation officials plan to use the bulk of the federal money on projects to keep the trains running on schedule, not new high-speed rail corridors and trains.
In 2010, trains ran on time on the Amtrak Cascades line through western Washington less than 70 percent of the time. The state DOT goal is for those trains to be on time at least 88 percent of the time.
Full editorial: The Olympian