https://youtu.be/fCw7_l2bGC0

Join All Aboard Washington on our Train Trek across the Northwest! We are hosting a series of meetings covering cities along the East-West rail corridor that will benefit from daytime passenger train service between Seattle and Spokane.

July's East-West Passenger Rail System feasibility study confirmed that daytime passenger train service connecting Ellensburg with the Yakima Valley, the Tri-Cities, Spokane, and the Puget Sound via the Stampede Pass is technically and financially viable. The study, conducted by consulting firm Steer, concluded that the service is feasible and has the potential to generate significant ridership. While end-to-end run times are long, East-West passenger trains would be much more affordable and accessible for Central and Eastern Washingtonians than many existing intercity bus and flight options. But All Aboard Washington believes it it worth considering an even more comprehensive Northwest passenger rail system, one with more destinations and departure times than is currently envisioned by Steer and the legislature.

On Saturday, November 21st at 1:00 pm, we will discuss why residents of the Kittitas and Yakima Valleys, from Cle Elum to the Tri-Cities, are the biggest winners in the creation of daytime East-West passenger trains. Our own Abe Zumwalt will illustrate the importance of frequency in building a useful rail corridor that people across the Northwest can rely on. And we will discuss the ongoing efforts to create a Northwest Rail Commission that could help make the Stampede Pass corridor even more robust.

Please join us in this online discussion of East-West passenger rail for Central and Eastern Washington, scheduled for Saturday, November 21st, 2020. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $10 so that AAWA can continue to host these important and needed conversations about the future of passenger trains in Washington. Or for a donation of $100 or more, we will thank you with a limited-edition AAWA face mask.