PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator

Last week, the PNWER RIA team hosted a two-part roundtable discussion at the Washington Public Ports Association Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA. Port representatives and economic development leaders from across the state explored the vital partnership between Washington's ports, railroads and supply chains. These connections are critical in supporting the economy, reducing emissions and strengthening supply chain resilience, and it was valuable to hear from participants on how we can better tell this story to local and state policymakers. We appreciate all who contributed their insights to this discussion, and we're excited to build on this conversation in the future. Stay up to date with our rail and supply chain work at www.rianorthwest.org/hpr.

The Pacific Northwest will soon see new Airo trainsets running on the Amtrak Cascades route between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, B.C. The trainsets, set to be delivered in 2026, will be the most advanced in North America and are one of many upgrades slated by WSDOT and ODOT to improve rider experience and service times along the corridor. Among these updates is the new Cascades Gateway Bi-National Rail Working Group, formed by WSDOT and our team at Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER). The group will explore short and long-term railroad actions that will improve the performance of the Amtrak Cascades and explore future additional daily service to and from British Columbia. The Cascades Gateway Rail Group will convene key stakeholders from the U.S. and Canada to discuss opportunities to increase intercity passenger rail service and frequency ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will feature 13 matches in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, B.C. in summer 2026. Learn more about this and other Amtrak Cascades planning efforts here: https://lnkd.in/gGj_7VpB 🔗 Read the Urbanist story here: https://lnkd.in/gr_t9ize

ICYMI: The Greater Northwest Rail Summit, held Oct. 8 & 9 in Spokane, WA, and co-hosted by the PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator program and All Aboard Northwest, brought together industry leaders, rail experts and advocates to discuss the future of our region’s rail network – and ways in which we can work together to transform the system to better serve the customers and communities that rely on its service. The rail summit was made valuable from the energetic participation of the moderators, panelists and attendees who joined the conversation in Spokane and online. Discussions like these are a powerful force in driving progress, and we extend our gratitude to all who made the time to join us. 🔗 Read rail summit session highlights and watch recordings here: https://lnkd.in/gWtaQyDt 🛤️ Learn more about our High Performance Rail initiative: www.rianorthwest.org/hpr

ICYMI: The Greater Northwest Rail Summit, held Oct. 8 & 9 in Spokane, WA, and co-hosted by the PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator program and All Aboard Northwest, brought together industry leaders, rail experts and advocates to discuss the future of our region’s rail network – and ways in which we can work together to transform the system to better serve the customers and communities that rely on its service. The rail summit was made valuable from the energetic participation of the moderators, panelists and attendees who joined the conversation in Spokane and online. Discussions like these are a powerful force in driving progress, and we extend our gratitude to all who made the time to join us. 🔗 Read rail summit session highlights and watch recordings here: https://lnkd.in/gWtaQyDt 🛤️ Learn more about our High Performance Rail initiative: www.rianorthwest.org/hpr

The PNWER RIA team was joined by Erin Reinders, CPM, AICP for an exciting panel about transportation-focused technical assistance at this year's Economic Leadership Forum in Anchorage, Alaska. Our team highlighted our efforts with Alaska Municipal League to increase awareness and understanding of federal financing tools like TIFIA and RRIF to help more Alaska communities get their transportation projects across the finish line. We also highlighted the benefits of bundling infrastructure projects to create compelling funding applications so Alaska's communities and economy can continue to thrive. Learn more about AML's work here: https://lnkd.in/g83vrm8C Stay up to date with the PNWER RIA at www.RIAnorthwest.org

Day 2 of the Economic Leadership Forum brought fresh perspectives, meaningful conversations and opportunities for attendees to build new connections with partners from throughout the region. 💡The morning began with a lively conversation with regional leadership in a joint session with Resource Development Council for Alaska, Inc.. Alberta MLA Shane Getson, WA Rep. Cindy Ryu, AK Rep. DeLena Johnson and Mary Ann Pease highlighted Alaska's role in PNWER and RDC's work, while underscoring the importance of partnerships with regional neighbors. 💡The PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator team was joined by Erin Reinders, CPM, AICP from Alaska Municipal League to dive into the technical assistance we provide in partnership to Alaska communities to advance transportation infrastructure and increase understanding of federal financing mechanisms. 💡We concluded with an engaging discussion on fostering sustainable Indigenous tourism in Alaska. Emily Edenshaw, Danielle Vlemmiks, Carrie Armstrong and Brady Smith shared powerful stories as they underscored the vitality of cultural heritage in educating travelers and shaping experiences. "Cultural tourism is education, and education is tourism," Edenshaw said. The PNWER team extends a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who joined us in Anchorage and tuned in online for this year's Economic Leadership Forum. The Pacific Northwest's communities and economies grow stronger when we work across borders and sectors to address shared challenges, exchange new ideas and foster meaningful collaboration. Mark your calendars for the 2025 PNWER Annual Summit in Bellevue, WA, July 20-24, and stay up to date with our work at www.pnwer.org.

Salish Current: Legions of soccer fans will descend on the Pacific Northwest in peak summer 2026 for the men’s FIFA World Cup. It seems like a long time away, but not if you’re a transportation or travel planner. Rail enthusiasts in the Northwest want to leverage the upcoming World Cup to achieve a long-desired goal of adding a third or even fourth daily Amtrak round trip between Seattle and Vancouver — with intermediate stops including Bellingham and Mount Vernon. “We’re hoping the legacy from these games is the third and fourth roundtrip to Vancouver,” said Bruce Agnew, a program director at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region nonprofit. “For us rail advocates, that is a great opportunity.” The bi-national policy forum PNWER is advocating for yet another initiative: the creation of a “Know before you go” web portal or digital tool that could funnel customized travel tips and document requirements based on a soccer fan’s nationality and destinations in Cascadia. 🔗 Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g7YZJmYy

“Technical Assistance” is a top buzz term in the infrastructure sector, but what is it really, and how can communities access the help they need to get infrastructure projects built ASAP? Join the PNWER RIA program and the Alaska Municipal League at this year's Economic Leadership Forum in Anchorage, AK, Nov. 12-14 to learn about our collaborative approach to develop a TIFIA Action Plan for Alaska. This session will explore the kinds of technical assistance both organizations provide, and how their partnership opens new opportunities to communities across Alaska to fund and finance critical transportation infrastructure projects. 🔗 Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gYH_qXR6

Dispatch from the Third Annual Greater Northwest Rail Summit: Sean Jeans-Gail shared highlights from last week's rail summit in Rail Passengers Association's latest blog post. "The event was an important gathering for critical transportation stakeholders from across the region, including elected officials and freight railroad representatives. One clear takeaway from the week’s discussions is that elected representatives and local officials are looking to better understand the economic impact of these kinds of transportation investments; as passenger advocates, we’d do well to arm ourselves with the kinds of arguments that resonate with key decision makers." 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g3ETX6qf

Trains don't stop at state borders, and neither should partnerships. Yesterday afternoon, we wrapped up a successful Greater Northwest Rail Summit with a multi-state elected official panel that explored how leaders can work together across state lines to advance High Performance Rail. Thank you to Rep. Jake Fey and Rep. Andrew Barkis of Washington; Sen. Chris Gorsek, Rep. Khanh Pham, Rep. Nancy Nathanson and Rep. Kevin L. Mannix of Oregon; and Rep. Denise Baum of Montana for joining this collaborative conversation. Shoutout to Luis Moscoso for moderating! We also want to thank our stellar sponsors who helped make this event a success: Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority David Evans and Associates, Inc. KLJ Quandel Construction Group, LLC ALL ABOARD WASHINGTON Savage CHCS Internet Technologies COLUMBIA Strategic Consulting Group LLC Washington Public Ports Association City of Yakima All Aboard Northwest Breck Lebegue and Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates.