Bringing Amtrak back to Baker

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, August 17, 2022

The concept might seem silly, that in one respect Baker City is more isolated, two decades into the 21st century, than it was for much of the 20th.

But when the topic is trains, the claim has merit.

For much of the city’s history, residents could catch a train here and, from the depot near Broadway Street, begin a journey that could take them pretty much anywhere in America.

But that mobility went away in 1997 when Amtrak ended its Pioneer line, which started in Seattle and passed through Baker City.

In the ensuing quarter century, rail advocates — among them Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden — have lobbied Congress to revive the Pioneer, or at least a version of it. These efforts have failed, but the campaign might have more momentum than at any time since 1997. There’s more money potentially available, at any rate.

Members of All Aboard Northwest, an advocacy group, noted during a public Train Trek meeting on Aug. 13 in La Grande that the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Congress passed last year includes $66 billion for Amtrak’s repair backlog. Train supporters hope that money, even though it’s allocated for improving the existing rail network, will make it possible to also expand passenger service.

It’s a worthwhile goal.

Amtrak relies on government subsidies, of course, but so do other forms of transportation. Tax dollars, after all, pay to build and maintain highways and to run the air traffic control system.

Reviving the Pioneer would give local residents another travel option — and one that might be especially attractive when, for instance, winter storms have again closed Interstate 84. The return of Amtrak could also be a boost for the tourism industry in Northeastern Oregon, a region where commercial air service is quite limited.

The federal government will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on transportation projects over the next several years. Baker County residents probably won’t notice the results of the vast majority of that massive outlay.

Bringing back Amtrak would be a welcome exception.

— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor