FFolz wrote:Without the Cascades train, I never would have come to visit Oregon last summer. I don't know how important tourists dollars are to your state, but I'm going to guess that at least the state government thinks it's more than chump change.
You mention you wouldn't have visited Oregon, but you mention all points within Portland - did you go to Salem, Albany or Eugene?
Once in Salem or Albany - how did you get around? Salem has no weekend or evening bus service. Albany's bus system is even more limited. Eugene has a decent bus system but I don't think it operates when Amtrak pulls into town.
Oregon's top four tourist destinations (not in any particular order) are the Oregon Zoo, Spirit Mountain Casino, the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and Multnomah Falls. Only one of those is accessible by Amtrak Cascades (the Zoo). The Casino runs their own buses, and there is one city bus (from Salem) to the Casino. The Cheese Factory is served by the Tillamook County bus system (which does stop at Union Station). Multnomah Falls has no public transit access.
Did you visit the Mission Mill Heritage Site? The Oregon State Capitol? Not sure what there is in Albany...OSU is in Corvallis. What about the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville? (It has no public transit access, period.)
Mt. Hood? Astoria/Seaside/Cannon Beach? Lincoln City/Newport? Bend? Crater Lake? Ashland and the Shakespearan Festival? The Pendleton Round-Up? Hood River?
Oregon is not Portland, Oregon is Astoria to McDermott and Brookings to Joseph. Amtrak Cascades serves such an insignificant part of Oregon's tourist destinations and population that it is a joke. Yes, for a few people (namely folks in Eugene who need to get to Portland and return home the same day) it works - but the mere passenger numbers - the fact that you could put the ridership on just two buses and still have room to stretch out - speaks volumes. As the airlines have learned, it's all about frequency and schedules. You could have a bus leave every hour in both directions, and it likely would attract more ridership because it's more convenient. Sure, there will be a few pro-rail folks who absolutely will not touch a bus - but it's not my job to accomodate your wish. Otherwise, I could just as well say I won't touch Amtrak - are you willing to provide me with alternate transportation? It works both ways.