Revived momentum for Wilsonville to Salem commuter rail study in Oregon Legislature

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — A study of commuter rail service between Wilsonville and Salem is not a new idea.

But unlike a proposal more than a decade ago — and another that was left behind in last year’s session — the latest legislation for a study drew an overwhelming response from lawmakers, city and transit officials, and other advocates who testified Tuesday, Feb. 13, to the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation.

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The earlier proposal was sponsored by then-Rep. Mitch Greenlick, a Democrat from Portland who died in 2020 after 17 years in the House and who made a study a pet project. It led to a broad analysis completed in 2010 by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

A proposal for a more detailed study in House Bill 2662 cleared the joint committee in the 2023 session. But it died in the Legislature’s budget committee.

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Now, as lawmakers gear up for 2025 — when they will consider Oregon’s next major round of transportation projects and funding for a decade — the idea has renewed political momentum in the current short session due to close by March 10.

Read more at PortlandTribune.com.

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