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The History of the Pioneer Route

Over the course of the 20th century passenger rail ridership declined from carrying 98% of commercial intercity travelers in 1916 to 32% in 1952. The causes of this decline are debated, but are certainly linked to the growth of the national highway system and airports, both of which are either fully or partially funded by the government and compete directly with the railroads, which paid for their own infrastructure.

Additionally, American car culture was also on the rise in the post-World War II years, and rate regulation limited the railroad's ability to turn a profit on passenger rail.

As passenger ridership declined, rail companies that operated these passenger services started to discontinue these services altogether in favor of more profitable freight rail options.

In 1970, the Passenger Rail Service Act was signed into law. This removed the requirement for U.S. railroads companies (such as Union Pacific) to provide intercity passenger rail service, and created Amtrak to fulfill that role instead.

Amtrak received no rail tracks or rights-of-way at its inception and operated about half of the services that were previously operated. All existing rail infrastructure, along with its development and maintenance obligations, remained with the major rail companies.

Prior to the creation of Amtrak in 1971, there were two different rail routes that operated between Boise and Portland. The Pioneer Route was created in 1977 between Seattle and Salt Lake City, and had daily service through Baker City. This route was later expanded out to Denver in 1991.

In 1997, Amtrak announced the end of the Pioneer Route when a congressionally funded mandate to keep it operating expired. The end of the Pioneer Route severed Wyoming from the national rail network, marking the end of intercity rail service in the more populated portions of Idaho.

How we get it back

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed in 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was directed to conduct an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity passenger rail service and the potential for new Amtrak long-distance routes. The Pioneer Route is one of a few long-distance passenger rail services that this study is assessing.

Two series of regional working group meetings have been held in six regions across the country - Northeast, Southeast, Central, Midwest, Southwest, and Northwest. The first meeting series occurred in January and February 2023, and the second series was held in July 2023. In the coming months, FRA will hold additional working group meetings to keep stakeholders informed about the Study's progress

What we need to do now is to ensure that this study is aware of the demand and the need for passenger rail service to be restored to the NE Oregon area. We need to show that the residents here want this and that we are paying attention.

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