(The following article by Niki Sullivan was posted on the Oregonian website on July 1.)
PORTLAND, Ore. — Ridership is quickly increasing at Oregon City’s new Amtrak station, although more than 70 percent of the trains are late.
When the station opened in April, Amtrak projected eventual ridership at 830 to 1,250 per month. Numbers are nowhere near those levels, but they’re increasing.
From the opening April 16 through the end of that month, 290 passengers used the Oregon City station. In May, the first full month of operation, that number increased to 650. Figures for June were not yet available.
The four trains that serve Oregon City arrived on schedule 28 percent of the time, said Jonathan Hutchison, intercity passenger rail coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation. He said the figures came from Union Pacific, which owns the tracks. He did not know the average length of delays.
“It’s a huge problem,” Oregon City Mayor Alice Norris.
On Tuesday, Sandy Force waited with her daughter Robin Stretch and her 2-month-old grandson, Jason, for her son, arriving on the 5:51 p.m. train from Tacoma. At 6 o’clock they weren’t concerned, and as time ticked on they made light of the train’s tardiness.
“At least it’s not raining,” Stretch, 22, said.
The train arrived about 6:10 p.m. and dropped off two passengers.
Both of the Wednesday morning trains were late, the first by 20 minutes and the second by 53 minutes.
Hutchison said Amtrak trains often arrive late because Union Pacific’s freight trains have priority on the shared tracks, but that ridership numbers paint a brighter picture for the fledgling station.
“Six hundred fifty is an impressive number, given it’s the second full month of operation,” Hutchison said, noting that it’s too early to assess the success of the station, “particularly given the operational concerns.”
“If the trains were reliable, what would that (number) be?” Hutchison said.
Kelly Taylor, who starts work today overseeing rail planning and service for ODOT in Salem, said she hasn’t had time to develop an approach to the problem.
“I know there’s some issues,” Taylor said.
Mayor Norris said she’s “very pleased” with the passenger numbers. She said she receives positive notes and phone calls from commuters frequently but also receives complaints about late trains.
Amtrak on Tuesday announced a plan for $612 million in railway improvements between Eugene and Seattle, but the proposal has no congressional sponsor. The proposed changes would not speed up train schedules between Eugene and Portland, but would reduce delays.
Regardless of the station’s ridership or track record, Norris said, the city will go ahead with plans to expand free parking and move an old depot building to the site. Station improvements will cost about $1 million.
Norris said work will start as soon as the city secures the money.