Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

Oregon Rail Plan The 2001 Oregon Rail Plan updates the 1992 Oregon Rail Passenger Policy and Plan. The 1992 Passenger Policy and Plan proposed an extension of passenger rail service from Eugene to Roseburg as a “Second Stage” expansion bey ond the current Eugene to Portland service. The “Third Stage” of service expansion would extend passenger rail service further south to Medford. Second Stage package improvem ents were estim ated at $32 m illion and Third Stage package im provem ents were estim ated at $275 million due to the extensive track upgrades that would be required through the m ountainous terrain south of Roseburg. The Oregon Rail Passenger Policy and Plan proposed two daily round trip passenger runs from Medford to Portland in the Third Stage with travel tim es of six to eight hours, depending upon the schedule ultim ately adopted. There is no m ention in the Passenger Policy and Plan of service south of Medford, such as destination service to Ashland or cities in Ca lifornia. Annual operating and m aintenance costs for the Eugene to Medford service were estim ated to be $15.8 m illion for the Third Stage with projected ridership for the entire segm ent south of E ugene being less than 500 passengers per day . The Oregon Rail Passenger Policy and Plan did not propose an im plem entation schedule for any passenger rail expansion stages. Passenger rail service between Eugene and Medford would be constrained by a twisting track alignm ent, steep grades, and slow speeds. Given the need for significant trackway improvem ents, coupled with the com petition for scarce resources on a statewide basis, it is not clear whether the Third Stage proposal from the Passenger Policy and Plan would be im plem ented within the 20-y ear planning horizon for the Medford TSP. It is conceivable that passenger rail service m ight not be available until after 2022 in the Rogue Valley region. Even if Third Stage passenger rail service is availabl e by the end of the planning period, reductions in traffic on the street and highway system are expected to be m inimal. Traffic to and from a passenger terminal would be m inor and would be unlikely to cause or contribute to any significant congestion. Likewise, intercity volum es on I-5 should be unaffected by the m inor diversion from auto to train travel. The need for passenger rail service in the Rogue Valle y between Ashland and Grants Pass, then on to Portland as proposed in the Third Stage of the Oregon Rail Passenger Policy and Plan was further explored in the recently com pleted Southern Or egon Com muter Rail Study . Study objectives included both tourism enhancem ent as well as im proved connections to train service for intercity and/or com muter travel. This study and its key findings is discussed below. Southern Oregon Commuter Rail Study The 1999 session of the Oregon Legislature instructed the Oregon Departm ent of Transportation (ODOT) to exam ine the potential for frequent local passenge r service (com muter rail) between Grants Pass and Ashland, a distance of approxim ately 45 m iles. Th is service was proposed to operate on trackage owned by the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (CORP). Th e majority of this trackage is in Federal Railroad Adm inistration Class I and Class II conditions perm itting top passenger train speeds of 15 and 30 mph. Freight train service on this line includes several local switchers, as well as through trains providing service to the north through Glendale to Roseburg and connection to CORP trackage in California to the south. The Southern Oregon Com muter Rail Study was a joint effort of ODOT’s Rail Division, the Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD), and th e Rogue Valley Metropolita n Planning Organization (RVMPO). The overall goal of the study was to define costs, benefits and im pacts of the project so that regional partners could com pare im plem entation of this service with other regional transportation priorities. The study was published in June 2001. Key findings include: Medford Transportatio n System Plan 11-2 Rail Plan