Reader Spotlight: Time for Spokane to get ‘on track’

There is an issue in this country with crowded and increasingly unaffordable air service. Air traffic controllers are in short supply and the availability of flights to many destinations is a problem from the Inland Northwest. The answer may be an expanded, affordable and reliable rail service.

Currently there is only one Amtrak train going through Spokane daily in each direction (west or east). To make matters worse, the departure time for either direction is between 1 and 3:15 a.m. There is no long-term parking at the Spokane Amtrak station. Passengers must either arrive by shuttle/taxi or be dropped off by a friend willing to leave their home in the middle of the night. Moreover, the reliability of westbound trains is a problem. Since the route begins in Chicago, the chances of the published time being accurate are a merely a suggestion. Coach prices are competitive, but few would like to sit in coach for a long train ride of more than a few hours.

The solution? First, expand the long-term parking availability at the Spokane Amtrak station. Second, increase police presence at the station. Many homeless people sleep on the floor. Third, offer at least two trains daily east- and westbound. The night train could be at a reduced fare and the day train should come through Spokane between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. so that it becomes less problematic to use. Fourth, the East Coast is receiving 22 trains this year with speeds upwards of 150 mph. They will be all electric, quiet trains with much improved customer services.

This will allow the trips to and from Portland to be cut to less than three hours each! It will greatly reduce the load on the airlines and thus make air travel less congested and safer. Most civilized countries in the world have state of the art train service. The U.S. is woefully lacking in that option.

Barry Bauchwitz

Spokane Valley