Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates

Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates AORTA is a non-profit member driven organization advocates for a sustainable transportation system for Oregon! DuShane and Arthur Poole.

Working for Balanced Transportation in Oregon Since 1976

On Saturday, May 22, 1976, twenty-six persons gathered at a restaurant in Salem, Oregon to establish an organization to promote rail service. Seven days later the Articles of Incorporation for the Oregon Association of Railway Passengers (OreARP) were signed and submitted to the State of Oregon. The original Directors were Ken McFarling, Do

nald M. In addition to the Directors, early active members included John Perrin, Bill Perrin, Bob Rynerson, Bill Parrish, Michael Ackley, Phronsie McFarling and Larry Griffith. One of OreARP’s first major undertakings was promoting and lobbying for rail service from Portland through Eastern Oregon, Boise, and beyond. Following an extensive letter and telephone campaign, OreARP conducted a “familiarization tour” in August 1976 from Portland to Ontario to meet with officials, the public, and promote what would soon become the Pioneer. In February of 1981 OreARP published a “Proposal for the Development of an Oregon State Surface Transportation System.” The publication included an inventory of the existing surface transportation system and a five-phase implementation plan for expanded rail and bus service. One of AORTA’s biggest undertakings in its 30-plus year history was the campaign to prevent developers from removing passenger shelters and most of the trackage at Portland’s Union Station. Arguing that intercity passenger rail would play an expanded role in the area’s future, AORTA resorted to legal action in an effort to protect facilities at Union Station. A compromise agreement in 1990 resulted in preservation of the two remaining shelters, five tracks, and space for a sixth. A few months later the State of Washington would invest in modern, European-style trainsets for passenger rail service through the Cascades corridor, proving the prophesy of a resurgence in rail passenger services at Union Station. In every legislative session AORTA has worked for funding to continue Amtrak Cascades and Thruway bus service in the state. Most notable was the 2003 campaign when AORTA’s grassroots campaign generated thousands of letters, calls and petitions to elected leaders in Salem, saving the service for another two years. AORTA continues to work for a dedicated source of funding to continue and expand services into the future. The successful legislative campaigns in 2005, 2007 and 2009 (Connect Oregon I, II and III) are important steps in that direction. AORTA continues to work for expansion of local and intercity passenger rail and bus service, freight rail, intermodal connectivity, and a healthy, pedestrian/people friendly environment, which will enable a strong economy for the long term

Latest ridership figures from ODOT.
04/02/2026

Latest ridership figures from ODOT.

🚨 URGENT ALERT 🚨 Lawmakers Poised to Decimate Rail in Oregon. Tell them a multimodal future isn’t up for negotiation.Rea...
03/03/2026

🚨 URGENT ALERT 🚨

Lawmakers Poised to Decimate Rail in Oregon. Tell them a multimodal future isn’t up for negotiation.

Read more here, and follow the link within to submit testimony:

Last-minute legislation introduced today in Salem would cut funding for critical rail improvements in Oregon—precluding long-planned and already environmentally-approved projects necessary to allow more service on Amtrak Cascades through the Willamette Valley.

URGENT ALERT: Lawmakers Poised to Decimate Rail in Oregon. Tell them a multimodal future isn’t up for negotiation.WHAT’S...
03/03/2026

URGENT ALERT: Lawmakers Poised to Decimate Rail in Oregon. Tell them a multimodal future isn’t up for negotiation.

WHAT’S HAPPENING
Last-minute legislation introduced today in Salem would cut funding for critical rail improvements in Oregon—precluding long-planned and already environmentally-approved projects necessary to allow more service on Amtrak Cascades through the Willamette Valley.

Tomorrow, a hearing for SB 1601 with -3 amendment will cut:
$20M from the Transportation Operating Fund (TOF), used for matching critical funding for Cascades Service from Portland to Eugene.
$42M from the Connect Oregon program, used for Rail improvement projects.
As proposed, these dollars will instead be rerouted in the highway fund, which already has various funding streams.

WHY IT MATTERS
Under this proposal, not only would riders be stuck with only two (often sold out) round trips a day between Portland and Eugene for years to come, but Oregon would also be eliminating the local match needed for precious matching federal dollars. This program is a solid investment for our state: for every $20 we spent improving rails to move people and freight, we receive up to $80 from the federal government. Defunding investments in rail won’t reallocate those federal dollars: they’ll go toward rail projects in other states.

In short, Oregon will be leaving money on the table, all while hurting commuters, tourism, a vital link in the transportation network for the 1 in 3 Oregonians who don’t drive, and an essential transportation choice for those who do.

WHEN IT IS HAPPENING
A hearing is scheduled for 9am - Tuesday, March 3rd. You read that right: we need to move fast to prevent this amendment from moving forward as written

WHAT YOU CAN DO
We need you to turn out for a multimodal future, and tell our representatives not to abandon rail in Oregon.

Submit testimony on the bill. We urge those wishing to add written comments to get them in as quickly as possible, however written comments will be accepted up until 9am Thursday. You testify here:
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Testimony/JWMCC/SB/1601/0000-00-00-00-00?area=Measures
Write your own testimony or simply copy the following:
My name is [Your Name] and I am a resident of [County in which you reside] county. I oppose the proposed legislation in SB 1601 with the -3 amendment. We cannot continue to cut transportation alternatives when 1 in 3 Oregonians don’t or can’t drive. Rail is a lifeline to education, employment, healthcare, and the economy. Oregon can’t afford to prop up the operations of highways by eliminating funding modes which shift vehicles off our roads.
Please do not pass this amendment and keep our transit funding intact!

Take a moment to call the following lawmakers to say you OPPOSE the cuts to rail funding in SB 1601:
Sen. Kate Lieber (Beaverton, SW Portland) 503-986-1714
Sen. Lew Frederick (N/NE Portland) 503-986-1722
Rep. Rob Nosse (Portland) 503-986-1442
Rep. Nancy Nathanson (Eugene) 503-986-1413

Testimony submitted is made publicly available and becomes part of the public record. Do not submit testimony containing personal information that you do not want to be made public.

02/09/2026
New bus service reconnects rural Northeast Oregon after nearly a yearKOIN 6 / Dec 16, 2025 at 1:57 PM
12/17/2025

New bus service reconnects rural Northeast Oregon after nearly a year
KOIN 6 / Dec 16, 2025 at 1:57 PM

New bus service reconnects rural Northeast Oregon after nearly a yearSubscribe to KOIN 6's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/KOINLOCAL6?sub_confi...

This is a video of the first (1 of 8) Airo Amtrak Cascades Trains that will begin service between Eugene and Vancouver B...
11/27/2025

This is a video of the first (1 of 8) Airo Amtrak Cascades Trains that will begin service between Eugene and Vancouver BC in 2026. ENJOY!!!

On November 24th, 2025, Amtraks first Airo set, rocking the Cascades paint scheme made its first test runs along the Keystone Corridor. I was able to catch e...

11/26/2025

EDIT: The City of Albany does not manage this service. We are just spreading the word. If you have feedback for them, posting it here probably isn’t going to be as effective as you think…

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Have you heard? There's a new bus line called 99 Vine that runs from Eugene Airport to McMinnville along 99W, four times daily Monday through Friday, starting today.

This new service stops in McMinnville, Rickreall, Amity, Monmouth, the OSU campus, Corvallis, Monroe, Junction City, and the Eugene Airport. Albany riders can use the Linn Benton Loop to meet up with the downtown Corvallis stop. The best part? No tickets required.

The six-month pilot project is a partnership between Benton and Yamhill counties. The schedule can be found at the bus company's site at https://pacificcrestbuslines.net/routes/99-vine/

Benton County, Oregon

11/22/2025

A new public transit pilot project offering bus service between McMinnville and Eugene, with two stops in Corvallis, officially launches on Monday, November 24. The pilot project, dubbed 99 Vine, is a partnership between Benton County and Yamhill County and aims to provide bus service to eight commu...

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800 NW 6th Avenue, Ste 253
Portland, OR
97209

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11:30am - 1pm

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+15032417185

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