Via the Oregonian. Federal officials awarded $6 million to the Point Defiance Bypass Project, which is intended to reroute Amtrak service near Tacoma. The new route would avoid a tunnel and a congested area near the Port of Tacoma, saving six minutes on the 3-1/2 hour Portland-Seattle trip.

Ron Swaren is a regular commenter on Portland Transport. Michael Barkoviak – June 9, 2008 5:50 AM “President Bush signed a transportation bill that will help fund a high speed maglev train between Disneyland and Las Vegas. The initial $45M investment will be used for environmental studies to evaluate construction impact on one portion of…

In stark contrast to the Bush administration’s efforts to pull the plug on Amtrak funding, a post on Planetizen links to a Washington Post column encouraging investment in the nation’s rail systems. “America’s train advocates are mildly optimistic. And for some good reasons. Amtrak is reporting impressive ridership gains. Oil is pushing $100 a barrel,…

Via Planetizen: About $15M just got allocated toward planning for an initial segment of a 700-mile high-speed rail corridor. More interesting, the idea that $10B toward the project could be on the ballot in 2008.