Spring 2021
Meet you at the depot
When the train was the way to travel to Pullman and Washington State » More ...
Trains
Spring 2010
What I’ve Learned Since College: Joni Earl ’75—CEO of Sound Transit
When Joni Earl ’75 joined Sound Transit in 2000, she was unaware of the crisis facing the agency, which provides public transportation for Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties. As the new Chief Operating Officer, she was asked to review the struggling $1.9 billion project to build a light rail 21 miles along the Puget Sound corridor from SeaTac Airport to Seattle’s University District. She discovered that it was several years behind schedule and would cost at least $1 billion more to complete. Three months after she took the job, her supervisor resigned. Earl became the acting executive director and later that year was hired as … » More …
Spring 2010
Letters for Spring 2010
Track to the future
What a joy to hear about the possible return of the Palouse Goose! (Winter 09/10) I have many great memories of traveling between Spokane and Pullman in the early 60’s on the single-car “train” that carried us to and from college. Most of the time we were able to sit in the passenger side of the car but on one memorable trip the seats were full and several of us got to ride with the baggage. Accompanying us were several caged roosters, bound possibly for a future cockfight. We eyed each other throughout our transit, their dark beady eyes shining … » More …
Winter 2009
Design presentations from the “Powering the Palouse” symposium
Bob Scarfo, an associate professor with Washington State University’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute, and his landscape architecture students explore the benefits of re-introducing passenger rail between Spokane and the Pullman/Moscow area in response to shifting global trends, particularly associated with energy, water and climate change.
Presentations shown during the poster session of the symposium are accessed through links on the map below. (Click on a station to reveal a document [PDF].)
Additional presentations: Spokane Multimodal, RR crossings (PDFs)
Winter 2009
Track to the future
It was only a few decades ago that Northern Pacific Railroad ran daily trains from Spokane through Pullman and down to Lewiston. And train cars loaded with students and steamer trunks came over the Cascades delivering their lively loads to packed stations filled with eager classmates awaiting their friends.
Bob Scarfo, an associate professor with Washington State University’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute, and his landscape architecture students have evoked some of that romance with a project urging the reintroduction of passenger trains to the Palouse. Only now, along with the romance of the rail, they’re citing contemporary reasons like oil scarcity, climate change, an aging population, … » More …