Frequently Asked Questions
Who are you?
We're a group of Baker County residents who want to see passenger rail come back through Baker City. You can see more about us on the About page.
Where would the Pioneer route run?
In its last iteration, it served Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; and Boise, ID, with stops in small towns along the way. How Amtrak and the FRA choose to design its future iteration is still being decided.
You can download a map/brochure PDF of the 1997 version of the Pioneer route from Amtrak here. (This will be saved to your downloads directory on your computer)
Why do you want passenger rail to come back through Baker?
There are quite a few benefits, including:
- Passenger rail would allow Baker County residents to reduce or eliminate their need for long distance car single purpose trips to large urban areas like Boise or Portland, such as specialty medical service, air travel, business trip, niche shopping experiences, etc.
- Conversely, it would be a boon to our local tourism economy, as our distant friends and loved ones could come visit us more frequently without having to "burn" a vacation day sitting behind the wheel of a car. Instead, they could spend those hours working while the train gets them here. And they wouldn't be worn out when they got here!
Will this effort raise my taxes?
No, it likely will not raise your taxes. There are already funds available as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These funds are earmarked for restoration or expansion of passenger service in America. All we're doing here is working to ensure that the wishes of the people of Baker County are considered by our elected officials as they make large-scale transportation decisions for the future.
How can I support this action?
- Sign our petition! You can find out more about that here.
- Comment on the FRA's study website. It takes 2 minutes and helps immensely.