Featured Topics

Salt Lake Has Done It—Why Can't We? InlandRail board member Phyllis Holmes forwarded this great Transportation for America article on how Salt Lake City has pulled off an amazing feat in using smart transportation planning to help shape their future. Vision and effective leadership—that's something woefully lacking here in good old Spokane Falls.

InlandRail's 2013 Billboard Campaign. Did you catch any of our billboards? We thought it was time to renew the region's interest. See our FAQs page for new information and a much needed "shot in the arm".

Guest Editorial in the S-R. InlandRail Board member KC Traver wrote a guest opinion that appeared in the March 27, 2010 Spokesman-Review RoundTable, entitled Light Rail Spurs Local Economy. This is truly a must-read. We invite you to check it out on our editorial page.

Recommended InlandRail Editorials:

Recommended Outside Reading:
  • PublicTransport.about.com Public Transport site hosted and authored by Christopher MacKechnie. Great repository of transportation related information, both rail and bus.
  • The Transport Politic: "The Silly Argument Over BRT and Rail"
  • Light Rail or BRT? Documented discussions and public debates regarding the suitability of BRT versus LRT.
  • Rails to Real Estate A report produced by Center for Transit Oriented Development—analyzes three recently completed light rail projects for the quantity and quality of LRT-driven development.

2013 billboard campaign
2013 Billboard Campaign

InlandRail is a non-partisan citizens' group dedicated to advocating for rail transit as part of a more balanced transportation network for the Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho region, promoting sustainable growth, economic vitality, affordable citizen mobility, and increased community character.

InlandRail believes:

  • A truly robust regional transportation system is comprised of many elements: local transit/circulation/feeder service (bus/ streetcar/ vanpool/ others); sub-regional transit service (express bus/bus rapid transit); and regional transit service (light rail transit).

  • Transit-oriented development is an economic development phenomenon numerous studies have shown to associate with fixed rail-based transit systems in a synergistic, beneficial manner related in some way to the predictability and "mystique" of rail travel.

  • The ballot measures sponsored by Spokane Transit Authority (STA) in 2006 were very confusing. Notably, despite limited time for public outreach, the final vote was surprisingly close, each of the two measures failing by only a few percentage points. Nonetheless, STA views the vote as a mandate for no additional action at this time.

  • Considering the severely time-constrained educational campaign preceding the 2006 vote, the unfavorable but extremely close voting margin belies a regional readiness to continue planning for a future light rail system.

Questions or comments?
Get in touch with us at: info@inlandrail.org





info@inlandrail.org