Greater Northwest Rail Summit

10/15/2025

Rail Advocates Network (RAN) Sidebar
Pacific Northwest Rail Summit
EcoTrust Building, Portland
Thursday, October 16 | 1:15–2:15 PM (PT)
Hybrid: in-person and online (registration required)

Purpose
The Rail Advocates Network (RAN) brings together leaders from across the Pacific Northwest and the Big Sky North Coast Corridor to coordinate advocacy, share information, and build regional alignment on intercity passenger rail priorities.

This Sidebar offers a chance to reflect on what we’ve learned during the Summit and determine how to strengthen collaboration among advocates and partner organizations.

Please Come Prepared

Bring one key issue or insight from the Summit sessions—especially those not fully covered in the Legislative Roundtable or other panels.

Keep comments concise and actionable; this is a listening and coordination session, not a debate.

Written notes or short summaries are welcome. Email them to Luis Moscoso ([email protected]) or Kim Whittemore ([email protected]) by Thursday morning if possible.

Key Discussion Themes

Reflections from the Legislative Roundtable

What stood out from legislators’ comments on coordination, funding, and governance?

What priorities or next steps emerged that advocates can help advance?

We will capture key takeaways and potential follow-up actions for future RAN coordination.

The Role of RAN (Charlie & Mark)

Position RAN as a connector that helps groups share accurate information, amplify regional wins, and build state-level advocacy networks.

Encourage participation from new partners, including MPOs, chambers, universities, and workforce organizations.

Define how RAN can link into broader coalition efforts like Government Partners, ensuring consistent communication across the corridor.

Reminder: RAN meeting at AORTA HQ, Union Station, Friday at 1:15 PM.

Legislative Engagement (Kim & Luis)

How advocates can support constructive dialogue around the surface transportation reauthorization and S. 2916 (Sheehy) without taking premature positions.

Opportunities for state legislators to coordinate more effectively across state lines—building on the discussions at the Big Sky conference and PNWER’s “Regional Rail Coordination” panel.

Outcome
Our goal is to leave this Sidebar with:

A clear record of key themes and observations from PNWER sessions.

A shared understanding of how RAN can strengthen coordination among states and partner organizations.

Preliminary next steps to carry forward at Friday’s meeting and beyond.

Facilitators
Luis Moscoso, Government Affairs Director, AAWA/AORTA
Kim Whittemore, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority / BSPRA–Corridor ID Coordination
Charlie Hamilton and Mark Quam, All Aboard Washington / All Aboard Northwest
Please email Charlie at https://allaboardnw.org/contact/ if you would like to attend via Zoom and we'll send you an invitation.

10/01/2025

Rail advocates from All Aboard Northwest, AORTA, and All Aboard Washington are encouraging members, allies, and community leaders to participate in the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, October 15–16 at the EcoTrust Building in Portland.

Rail advocates from All Aboard Northwest, AORTA, and All Aboard Washington are encouraging members, allies, and community leaders to participate in the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, October 15–16 at the EcoTrust Building in Portland.

09/20/2025

Join us in Portland October 15-17 for the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, where passenger and freight rail leaders and elected officials will discuss opportunities to improve the shared rail system that spans the Greater Northwest. Details at https://nwsummit.org. Register now to attend in person or online.

Send a message to learn more

08/21/2025

Northwest Rail Summit registration now available at

PNWER is proud to host the Build Northwest Economic Forum in conjunction with the fourth annual Pacific Northwest Rail Summit. As a global trade hub, the Pacific Northwest region depends on robust...

04/16/2025

Save the Date: Pacific Northwest Rail Summit
October 15-17, 2025 | Portland, Oregon

Featuring panel discussions with industry experts and policymakers around innovative energy transmission infrastructure and strategies to enhance our region’s freight and passenger rail network – including opportunities to revitalize Portland’s historic Union Station. Stay tuned for additional details.

Send a message to learn more

10/31/2024

AAWA reports from the Spokane Summit https://aawa.us/news/posts/aawa-news-october-2024/

Don’t forget to vote!; Report from Spokane Summit; Gary Wirt named to state work group; Joint AORTA-AAWA meeting in Portland, Saturday, November 9; Amtrak Board of Directors Meeting in Seattle, Wednesday, December 4; Greater Northwest Winter Gathering in Centralia, Saturday, December 14; AAWA Annu...

10/11/2024

The All Aboard Northwest and PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator team extend our gratitude for your participation in this year’s Greater Northwest Rail Summit. It was a pleasure to have you join us — in person or virtually — and we hope you found the discussions informative and the networking opportunities valuable.

The ideas and perspectives shared will undoubtedly help drive the future of High Performance Rail in the Greater Northwest, and we’re excited to continue collaborating with you to build this momentum.

We’d love to hear from you! Please fill out this form to share feedback or ideas for future rail summits. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoXUvG55rgn6PSLC8XGxN2__tzr6n8Am5k361iGmkHVkv8Yg/viewform

Session recordings, presentations and resources will be available on the summit agenda pages within the next few weeks.

Thank you for your time and contributions — we hope to see you at future events!

THANK YOU TO OUR SUMMIT SPONSORS! PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator All Aboard Northwest David Evans and Associates, Inc. KLJ Engineering Quandel Consulting Big Sky Passenger Rail All Aboard Washington Savage Services CHCS.com Internet Development Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates Columbia Strategic Consulting Group Washington Public Ports Association The City of Yakima Breck Lebegue MD MPH

Thank you for participating in the 2024 Greater Northwest Rail Summit. We hoped you gained new insights and enjoyed hearing from colleagues and experts on the opportunities to enhance our region's freight and passenger rail network. Your feedback is very important to us. Please provide input on what...

10/09/2024

10/08/2024

A great turnout in Spokane!

10/05/2024

Third Annual Greater Northwest Rail Summit Thataway!

10/03/2024

"On Oct. 8 and 9, the Greater Northwest Rail Summit will convene at the Spokane Public Library to explore ways to revisit the critical importance of railroads to our economy and environment.…Come join us at the library on Oct. 8 and 9. Remote access is also available. Find more information at www.nwsummit.org." https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/oct/03/bruce-agnew-and-al-french-rail-investment-powers-e/ All Aboard Northwest PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator David Evans and Associates, Inc. KLJ Engineering Big Sky Passenger Rail All Aboard Washington Savage Services CHCS.com Internet Development Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates The City of Yakima

The Greater Northwest was built around the railroads. Towns were founded more than 100 years ago along the rail network. The foundation of Spokane’s rail network was established even before the town received its charter in 1881.