The state of Oregon has purchased two new trains for use on the Amtrak Cascades line between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The $38 million purchase, paid through federal stimulus dollars, will add two new 13-car trains to the rotation. But there are no immediate plans to change the Cascades schedule or add service, said Shelley Snow, an Oregon Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Five trains now operate along the Cascades corridor — three owned by the state of Washington, and two owned by Amtrak. The latest purchase adds two more, owned by Oregon.
ODOT is asking the public for help in naming the new trains, and offered five Oregon mountains to choose from: Mount Bachelor, Mount Jefferson, Mount McLoughlin, Mount Scott and Mount Thielsen. The five existing trains are all named after other Northwest peaks.
The survey is available online at ODOT.
