Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

Chapter 11 Rail Plan Freight Rail Passenger rail service is not directly available in Medf ord. The existing freight rail line that serves the Rogue Valley region (the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad) is constrained by low speeds and steep grades to the north and south that would m ake ope ration of passenger rail service very slow and thus unattractive. The rail route between Medford and E ugene generally follows an alignm ent built in the 1880s. Intercity passenger rail service is available in Klam ath Falls which lies on the major north/south rail line connecting California with destinations in the Willam ette Valley and further north. North/south passenger rail service is operated by Amtrak in the California-Oregon-Washington corridor with its Coast Starlight route. The Coast Starlight provi des one northbound and one southbound train each day as it passes through Klam ath Falls. Intercity shuttle bus c onnections can be m ade from Medford to Klam ath Falls to connect with the Coast Starlight service. As discussed in Chapter 3, freight rail service in the Medford area is provided by the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad (CORP). In the Rogue Valley , CORP currently carries between 1 and 5 million tons of freight each y ear, with lower volum es to the north towa rd the m ain raily ard in Eugene, and to the south into California15. Freight movem ent along CORP trackage is constrained by steep grades, low height tunnels, and tight turns that lim it operating speeds to about 25 to 35 m iles per hour. Forty -three m iles of track are limited to an operating speed of only 10 m iles per hour. CORP’s line south from Medford is one of the m ost rugged rail lines in the western United States with gradients that approach 3.25 percent. The alignm ent of CORP trackage through the Medford UGB is illustrated in Figure 6-1. The CORP is undertaking an aggressive m aintenan ce program and is try ing to increase operating speeds to 25 m iles per hour and to ease som e of the height restrictions currently in place on the line. Loan guarantees by the Federal Railroad Adm inistration ar e being sought to help fund m aintenance needs. Passenger Rail Service Needs Amtrak also provides four trips per day between Por tland and Seattle on its Cascades route. Intercity bus connections to the train service in Portland are available from Medford via Grey hound bus lines. These connections are available for three trips each day in both northbound a nd southbound directions. The intercity passenger rail line in Oregon is part of the federally designated Pacific Northwest High Speed Rail Corridor that connects Eugene, Oregon w ith destinations in Washington State and with Vancouver, B.C. The federal designation gives this route preference for Federal Railroad Adm inistration funding to develop advanced technology passenger trai n service. The States of Oregon and Washington, in cooperation with the Province of British Colum bia, are working together to increm entally improve passenger train operations in the corridor. The Or egon Departm ent of Tran sportation is developing Oregon’s portion of the corridor, with the long-range goal of providing safe service at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour in rural areas. The 2001 Oregon Rail Plan provides further guidance on the developm ent of future passenger rail service along the I-5 corridor and elsewhere in the state. Key components of this plan as they pertain to Medford are described below. 15 Oregon Rai l Plan, ODOT, 2001 Medford Transportatio n System Plan 11-1 Rail Plan