Various short trips around the Willamette Valley

[Matthew H Fish]

You raise a good point. If the bus service had kept its share of riders, there should be six round trips a day between Salem and Silverton, with four round trips continuing to Mt. Angel. So, for example, there could be an evening trip for night classes at Chemeketa?

I also note that there are only three round trips on Saturdays, so no service increase despite population doubling.

On the other hand, perhaps Silverton has more services and retailing now than it did before, so there is less reason to "go into town." Seniors might be more willing to drive around Silverton than to go into Salem.

Silverton does have a lot of services---in fact, it is kind of at the perfect size where all the basic services someone would want are present, (including what looks to be a modern hospital under expansion), but it is still small enough that it hasn't turned into sprawl, and people in the community can probably know each other.
And like a lot of smaller towns, it probably is more keyed to retirees and seniors.
But that is one of the things I think about---if you have just graduated high school and want to go to community college in a town like Silverton, even though Chemeketa is only about 10 miles away, that requires a separate car. I imagine that in many towns like that in the area, there are lots of young people that can't even get a community college education because of that. That is just one example, but it shows what a gulf there is between being a young person in Silverton, and being in the same situation in Salem.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Yesterday, I went to Springfield, Oregon. I have been to Eugene several times, and have been to Springfield in passing, but this was the first trip that was meant to go to Springfield.
In the past, I had to go to Springfield because for a while, Greyhound stopped at the Springfield Station, but Greyhound has now moved their "station" back to the Amtrak station. At the same time, however, they have cut down their trips to one a day. This means that it makes it harder to get to and from Eugene (or Springfield). On this trip, I took the Amtrak Cascades to Eugene, then took BRT to Springfield and walked from there.
From a transit point of view, I guess one of my clearest insights here is how local transit can either make up for, or compound with, problems with long distant transit. My Amtrak train was 20 minutes late---not bad for the Cascades. But in Eugene, the BRT line runs every 15 minutes. In most cities of Eugene's size, the buses run every 30 minutes or even every hour--- which can really destroy the plans of a long-distance traveller. As it is, I was a little bit pinched for time, but not terribly so.
In this video I also talk about the difference between BRT systems and articulated buses passing as BRT: the Eugene BRT has doors on both sides, and in places, its own ROW. The difference in performance, ridership and feel between a BRT that has the flexibility of boarding by having stations on either side, and a BRT that I saw in Vancouver, WA, which was basically an articulated bus, is a big one.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

This weekend, I took a bus to Portland so I could ride the Amtrak Cascades between Portland and Albany. It was her first time riding it, so she thought it was fun. I thought it was fun, too, of course, even though a corridor train doesn't quite give the "full experience"
Along with lots of nice footage of country side, I make another important point in this video, where I show where the train is moving relative to the cars on the freeway---and it is either on pace or overtaking them. There are many advocates for high speed rail on the Eugene to Seattle corridor, and while I think it is a good idea, the truth is that that is a long way away---while rail service in the Willamette Valley is already able to compete with automobile traffic, if three things are dealt with:
1. More frequent service, right now it is only three times a day between Portland and Eugene (including the Coast Starlight)
2. More dependability---it can outpace traffic, when it doesn't have to stop or slow down
3. Better connecting service outside of city centers.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Also, a very specific update:
Greyhound is back to giving two trips up and down from Seattle to Eugene a day (and on to Sacramento). Greyhound and Flixbus now offer bus schedules in one unified app and interface, so someone can choose a round trip going one way on Greyhound and the other way on Flixbus.
This is good, but there is one thing that doesn't make sense:
Greyhound leaves at 11:55 AM and 7:40 PM, Flixbus leaves at 11:45 AM and 8 PM. So there are four buses a day, but effectively only two buses, because they have a pair of buses leaving at the same time. With different branding.

 

[Willbridge]

Some notes:

-- The Gate Numbers seen briefly at the start of the video were installed for a movie. As it was set in a bigger city, the original Gate Numbers 1, 2 and 3 were upgraded!

-- On the first version of regional service in the Willamette Valley there were stops at East Milwaukie and Woodburn. For the Cascades they were replaced -- with municipal assistance -- by the Oregon City stop. Oregon City is a focal point for Tri-Met bus routes and has a bridge to West Linn.

-- Woodburn may not have done well because it has a large Spanish-speaking population and I've never gotten the impression that Amtrak does much with that market. As we've noted here, Greyhound is hanging on in Woodburn and some of the supplementary PDX<>EUG Thruway buses serve it. If there was an overnight Thruway bus running EUG<>SAC I think that Woodburn would make a logical stop in the evening southbound and morning northbound.

-- In the fields just north of Salem you passed Chemawa, the Indian School. SP trains used to make conditional stops there to serve the kids who were coming from all over the Northwest, whether they wanted to or not.

-- Just before the glimpse of the State Capitol Bldg. you can see the former Highway Bldg. One of those windows belonged to the computer travel forecaster who in 1974 or 5 told me that his model showed that no one would ride Amtrak or Trailways in the Willamette Valley, because Greyhound was cheaper and faster and more frequent. I pointed out to him that from his window he could see the Coast Starlight, a 17-car train that was frequently sold out. Three of the four Trailways trips were Golden Eagles, with a surcharge for reservations and extra services. His model could not cope with quality issues.

-- Albany was not a stop on the original Amtrak system. They didn't realize its relationship with Corvallis and OSU. We included it in the original 1975 rail/bus Valley plan and eventually it was added.

 

[Willbridge]

Also, a very specific update:
Greyhound is back to giving two trips up and down from Seattle to Eugene a day (and on to Sacramento). Greyhound and Flixbus now offer bus schedules in one unified app and interface, so someone can choose a round trip going one way on Greyhound and the other way on Flixbus.
This is good, but there is one thing that doesn't make sense:
Greyhound leaves at 11:55 AM and 7:40 PM, Flixbus leaves at 11:45 AM and 8 PM. So there are four buses a day, but effectively only two buses, because they have a pair of buses leaving at the same time. With different branding.

They are also at different "stations" in Eugene and Seattle. And the schedules were written by people in Los Angeles for Flix and in Dallas for Greyhound. The Greyhound trips are locked into connecting times with their national network. The Flix buses are scheduled to beat Amtrak. We should wait and see as their integration continues.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Some notes:


-- Woodburn may not have done well because it has a large Spanish-speaking population and I've never gotten the impression that Amtrak does much with that market. As we've noted here, Greyhound is hanging on in Woodburn and some of the supplementary PDX<>EUG Thruway buses serve it. If there was an overnight Thruway bus running EUG<>SAC I think that Woodburn would make a logical stop in the evening southbound and morning northbound.

There are many stops along the route that might make sense. Taken on a case by case basis, I would say that someone could make a case for Canby, Woodburn, Turner, Jefferson, Halsey, Harrisburg and Junction City all make sense in one way or another---but adding them all together would probably add a lot of time to the trip, as well as cost a lot of money for adding in stations or platforms at all those locations. But I think that a Woodburn station makes at least as much sense as an Oregon City station, since people in Oregon City have many other ways to get to Portland and beyond.
As with so much else in train travel, it is a chicken and egg problem. If the Amtrak Cascades ran regularly enough, then many people in those towns would be interested in having a top in their town---but the Cascades might not get regular service until it is convenient for people outside of a few urban centers to ride the train regularly.

 

[Willbridge]

There are many stops along the route that might make sense. Taken on a case by case basis, I would say that someone could make a case for Canby, Woodburn, Turner, Jefferson, Halsey, Harrisburg and Junction City all make sense in one way or another---but adding them all together would probably add a lot of time to the trip, as well as cost a lot of money for adding in stations or platforms at all those locations. But I think that a Woodburn station makes at least as much sense as an Oregon City station, since people in Oregon City have many other ways to get to Portland and beyond.
As with so much else in train travel, it is a chicken and egg problem. If the Amtrak Cascades ran regularly enough, then many people in those towns would be interested in having a top in their town---but the Cascades might not get regular service until it is convenient for people outside of a few urban centers to ride the train regularly.

Harrisburg on 99E has always been a loser in the intercity bus service because OSU and Corvallis on 99W are more attractive. Stopping a train there would be another test of whether it is worthwhile being the top dog in a small market, versus catering to larger populations where there is competition.

In reference to Oregon City, I don't think it's meant to be a connection to Portland, but rather for trips in the other direction or through Portland.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Harrisburg on 99E has always been a loser in the intercity bus service because OSU and Corvallis on 99W are more attractive. Stopping a train there would be another test of whether it is worthwhile being the top dog in a small market, versus catering to larger populations where there is competition.

I guess this is where I would need to look at the specific math. What is the cost of installing and maintaining a train platform? What is the cost in time of stopping to load and unload? Harrisburg has 3600 people---how many daily passengers does that translate to?
Right now, also, there is two Cascades that pass through the town, and one possible roundtrip southward---which also allows only two hours in Eugene.
My own solution would be to focus on the low hanging fruit---increasing and improving service among the existing routes---until the train network is efficient enough that it will make easy sense, and not "kinda sense" to the smaller towns.

 

[Willbridge]

I guess this is where I would need to look at the specific math. What is the cost of installing and maintaining a train platform? What is the cost in time of stopping to load and unload? Harrisburg has 3600 people---how many daily passengers does that translate to?
Right now, also, there is two Cascades that pass through the town, and one possible roundtrip southward---which also allows only two hours in Eugene.
My own solution would be to focus on the low hanging fruit---increasing and improving service among the existing routes---until the train network is efficient enough that it will make easy sense, and not "kinda sense" to the smaller towns.

Amtrak adds about five minutes if they insert a stop. Of course, if a line is electrified and has high level platforms less is needed.

One solution might be bus service.

I looked up the run times for a EUG<>ALB bus via 99E and in the 1970's it was 61 to 72 minutes. [Limited trains of the Oregon Electric made ALB<>EUG with four stops in 75-80 minutes.] The Thruway buses are scheduled for 55 minutes on I-5. Would a 99E bus still make it in 65-70 minutes? That would pick up Halsey, Harrisburg and Junction City. Would anyone ride ALB<>EUG if their bus was not on I-5? (There is a theory in the intercity bus business that passengers object to routes that are not on the Interstates, regardless of the actual time.)

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Would a 99E bus still make it in 65-70 minutes? That would pick up Halsey, Harrisburg and Junction City. Would anyone ride ALB<>EUG if their bus was not on I-5? (There is a theory in the intercity bus business that passengers object to routes that are not on the Interstates, regardless of the actual time.)

Well, that is the big question, but I have to say that my own answer, from what I have seen is...no. At least not right now.
Even the bus line between Corvallis and Albany doesn't seem to be used by commuters regularly, and usually has only four or five people on a full sized bus...and Corvallis and Albany are larger and closer together than other possible connection points.
There are some objective reasons why train service is better than bus service, but I think a lot of the difference is subjective. Buses are just seen as clunky and unpleasant---which tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. This isn't the case for the Flixbus and POINT buses, but all of the buses that go on the rural routes in the Willamette Valley are basically seen and scheduled as a last option. Bus travel is usually treated as a social service, and the idea is that since it is a social service, it doesn't have to be fast---because most people don't have anywhere they need to be, and because beggars can't be choosers.
That is kind of my pessimistic take on it---of course, there is nothing intrinsic about bus travel that makes it impossible, especially because the towns in the valley are close enough together and populous enough that even the smaller ones could have feasible bus service---but it involves fighting against a lot of ingrained biases about buses.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

One of the things I like about these trip reports is it gets me out of too much theory.
I have a lot of thoughts about the social and political ramifications of transit, especially as almost everything has become politicized. I think it is short sighted that people in smaller, and even larger towns, often think of transit as being almost sinister and a sign of some type of urban decadence. But discussing the theory behind that gets confusing---which is why I like to be able to just post what I see on my trips.

 

[Willbridge]

One of the things I like about these trip reports is it gets me out of too much theory.
I have a lot of thoughts about the social and political ramifications of transit, especially as almost everything has become politicized. I think it is short sighted that people in smaller, and even larger towns, often think of transit as being almost sinister and a sign of some type of urban decadence. But discussing the theory behind that gets confusing---which is why I like to be able to just post what I see on my trips.

This was outside of the Willamette Valley, but in 1973 when I was working on the start-up KFS transit bus service, the project manager bought a big German Shepherd. He was receiving phone calls of a disturbing nature, with caller/s referring to "mass transit" as a Communist thing. Eventually, ODOT changed the name of the unit from Mass Transit Division to Public Transportation Division.

I've mentioned elsewhere in this bulletin board that I noticed locals interested in my Salem Motor Pool car. Combined with what the local project manager was picking up, I switched to using Amtrak on the days that it ran, and Greyhound when it did not. Then I picked up a car from the Highway Division and I could test drive bus routes and stop for a coffee and note taking without folks wondering what those bureaucrats from Salem were doing in K. Falls.

Greyhound, BTW, had three trips a day between SLM and KFS, plus more connecting trips. Two of them were on the route through Alturas, Reno, Las Vegas, for Phoenix.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

This is a very long video for a trip that was only about 8 hours long! On Friday, I went to Eugene, Oregon on the Amtrak Cascades, and then came back on Greyhound, which has reinstated a late evening trip northwards. This is a 36 minute long video, the first six minutes is the train trip down, the last six minutes is the bus trip back north, the middle is me walking around Eugene and into the woods, which is interesting, perhaps, but not train or travel related.
So my key insight for the trip south, is that there is a threshold for delays that makes an entire trip just not very fun. Also, things that wouldn't bother me on a long distance route are really annoying on a corridor route. If I am crossing the country, it won't matter in most cases if I am 50 minutes late. But on a corridor service, taking a day trip, that feels like it ruins the trip. (Even when, objectively, it doesn't really make much of a difference.) This also relates to how the transit infrastructure looks like inside of a city: the Eugene transit center is a half mile from the train station. My train pulled into Eugene at 2:50 (about an hour late), and my bus was scheduled to leave at 3:00---so I made the half mile in just under ten minutes. So a lot of these little stresses can add up when travelling, so the first part of my trip wasn't very fun.
The way back was also stressful---because the Greyhound stop, which is right next to Eugene Amtrak, is totally unmarked. The address it gives is actually the address of a...Buffalo Exchange. I exclaim on this in the video, several times. This is also the type of thing that, for someone making up routes and stops in an office, seems like it might make sense---I mean, there is an address on a nearby building, there are some benches of some sort on the street. But it is very different when its getting dark and cold and you are computing the cost of a hotel if the bus stops somewhere else.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

I haven't posted any updates to this for a while, mostly because I've had the chance to do longer distance travel this year.
In what is perhaps the least epic Amtrak ever, I took an Amtrak Thruway bus between Albany and Salem, which is a 45 minute ride.
I actually grew up near Salem---which is one reason why I haven't bothered to visit, even though it is close. There is not really a lot there that is new to me, or so I thought. The other reason is that Salem is considered a boring city by many people in Oregon, with Portland and Eugene considered a lot more interesting.
Which is one of the points of this video--- Salem has big impressive government buildings and a nice downtown, but outside of that, it quickly devolves into neighboorhoods that are very difficult for pedestrians. There is actually a good transit system, but it doesn't make up for how car-centric a lot of the city is, outside of the downtown core. But also this video shows that there are nice residential neighborhoods as well.
From a transit point of view, Salem has the same problem as a lot of mid-sized US cities---its big enough that it really does need more transit, but not big enough that it has got the population densities and economy of scale to put it in place.
From an Amtrak travellers point of view, Salem makes an okay stop---but there isn't a particular reason to visit, compared to Eugene or Portland. For someone who is travelling north on the Coast Starlight out of California, going to Seattle or Portland, it is possible to stop in Salem and then continue north on the Cascades a few hours later. And its a nice enough idea---you can see the state government buildings, eat downtown, visit the waterfront---but it is also nothing that I would specifically go out of my way to do, especially since the Amtrak Station is located a short distance from downtown.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

I continue to make good use of my summer, or try to! I am putting this in here, even though Hood River isn't really in the Willamette Valley. Similar idea, though!
The video is pretty self-explanatory, but Hood River is about 50 miles east of Portland. From a transit point of view, one of the interesting things was how I got there---by taking a hop-on/hop-off bus that in some ways worked more like an intercity bus, including having cloth seats, overhead luggage racks, and USB ports. The buses, which go between Hood River and Gateway TC in NE Portland, also stop at Multnomah Falls and Cascade Locks. At least in the summer, they seem to be oriented to tourists, but I think they also transport shoppers between Cascade Locks and Hood River.
From a long distance traveler point of view, Hood River was a stop on the Pioneer, and the train station (shown in the video at around 8:30) is still there, and still in good repair. There is actually an excursion railroad that still utilizes it! I have to say after visiting, that while I understand why getting train service to major metropolitan areas like in the upcoming Ohio service is important, the sentimental side of me would really like getting Pioneer service back.
For current rail travelers, it is actually possible (at least some days) to get off the Empire Builder at White Salmon/Bingham, take a local bus to Hood River, and then go on to Portland from there. Obviously easier for more adventurous travellers with backpacks then people travelling with heavy luggage. In fact, I think it might even be possible to do that, take the excursion railroad up the valley and back to Hood River, and then to go on to Portland the same day.

 

[Northwestern]

A few years ago, I spent an afternoon in Hood River as a brief stop while taking an American Cruise Line boat tour (Portland, OR to Clarkston, WA). Hood River was a fun little town for just walking around. I walked by the old train station, now the station for the Mount Hood Railroad. I've never taken the Mt. Hood Railroad excursion but would like to one of these days. I wonder, if the Pioneer is reinstated, if the Pioneer will again stop at Hood River and share the station with the Mt. Hood Railroad.

https://is.gd/s5ouID

 

[Matthew H Fish]

. I wonder, if the Pioneer is reinstated, if the Pioneer will again stop at Hood River and share the station with the Mt. Hood Railroad.

https://is.gd/s5ouID

I imagine that Hood River would be an ideal stop on the Pioneer, because it would benefit tourist related businesses, which are very important, and also would be a big convenience for a lot of locals. I imagine that it wouldn't be too hard to share the station between Amtrak and an excursion railroad.

 

[Willbridge]

I continue to make good use of my summer, or try to! I am putting this in here, even though Hood River isn't really in the Willamette Valley. Similar idea, though!
The video is pretty self-explanatory, but Hood River is about 50 miles east of Portland. From a transit point of view, one of the interesting things was how I got there---by taking a hop-on/hop-off bus that in some ways worked more like an intercity bus, including having cloth seats, overhead luggage racks, and USB ports. The buses, which go between Hood River and Gateway TC in NE Portland, also stop at Multnomah Falls and Cascade Locks. At least in the summer, they seem to be oriented to tourists, but I think they also transport shoppers between Cascade Locks and Hood River.
From a long distance traveler point of view, Hood River was a stop on the Pioneer, and the train station (shown in the video at around 8:30) is still there, and still in good repair. There is actually an excursion railroad that still utilizes it! I have to say after visiting, that while I understand why getting train service to major metropolitan areas like in the upcoming Ohio service is important, the sentimental side of me would really like getting Pioneer service back.
For current rail travelers, it is actually possible (at least some days) to get off the Empire Builder at White Salmon/Bingham, take a local bus to Hood River, and then go on to Portland from there. Obviously easier for more adventurous travellers with backpacks then people travelling with heavy luggage. In fact, I think it might even be possible to do that, take the excursion railroad up the valley and back to Hood River, and then to go on to Portland the same day.

When both the Empire Builder and the Pioneer were running, brave passengers would make connections across the Columbia River by taxi. For example, on a DEN<>SPK trip. One problem was the limited capacity of the Hood River and The Dalles cab companies.

A note: Flix, which has replaced Greyhound on the PDX<>BOI segment, stops at the rail station.

 

[Willbridge]

It's pretty dated, but this video shows how things looked in 2008 when the previous study of the Pioneer route was launched. You can see that the Hood River station looked plainer than it does now.



In regard to the climate, I have memories of waiting for UP Train 11, the Idahoan, on the lawn there with the warm, dry wind at a pleasant temperature. My date and I had made the round-trip from Portland to ride an excursion on the Mount Hood Railroad.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

When both the Empire Builder and the Pioneer were running, brave passengers would make connections across the Columbia River by taxi. For example, on a DEN<>SPK trip. One problem was the limited capacity of the Hood River and The Dalles cab companies.

A note: Flix, which has replaced Greyhound on the PDX<>BOI segment, stops at the rail station.

Currently, there is a city bus between Hood River and White Salmon, which, opposite to most city buses, runs only on the weekends. I think it is a summer time thing.
When the Pioneer and Empire Builder were both running, did they have staggered schedules? Because one of the reasons for having a new Pioneer, either from Chicago to Portland or Denver to Portland, would be to double service from Denver->SLC...in which case, it might make the most sense to have it more or less 12 hours away California Zephyr schedule. But in that case, it would probably be getting into Boise at 6 PM and into Portland at 3 AM or so... (since the CZ gets into Winnemucca and Emeryville at around 6 AM and 3 PM)...meaning that the Pioneer service that would be the most beneficial for Denver to SLC riders would be difficult for people visiting the Columbia River Gorge.

 

[Willbridge]

Currently, there is a city bus between Hood River and White Salmon, which, opposite to most city buses, runs only on the weekends. I think it is a summer time thing.
When the Pioneer and Empire Builder were both running, did they have staggered schedules? Because one of the reasons for having a new Pioneer, either from Chicago to Portland or Denver to Portland, would be to double service from Denver->SLC...in which case, it might make the most sense to have it more or less 12 hours away California Zephyr schedule. But in that case, it would probably be getting into Boise at 6 PM and into Portland at 3 AM or so... (since the CZ gets into Winnemucca and Emeryville at around 6 AM and 3 PM)...meaning that the Pioneer service that would be the most beneficial for Denver to SLC riders would be difficult for people visiting the Columbia River Gorge.

The conclusion that some people who have studied it is that if a PDX<>DEN train is the second train that ridership demands SLC<>DEN, it should run on the old Portland Rose pattern of two nights and one business day. (The Pioneer was two business days and one night and from 1983 to 1997 it suffered with that.) That is either via Cheyenne or via the Moffat line and via SLC either way.

The late Don Leap of AORTA, a former UP customer, had a good modification of that pattern, jiggled so that westbound the Columbia Gorge would be in daylight and eastbound the Front Range would be in daylight. National Parks/Monuments bus connections in Gooding, Shoshone, or Pocatello would also be in daylight both ways. My draft of that shows via the Overland Route: westbound arr PDX @ 0945, eastbound dep PDX @ 2000. [I'll experiment with sending a spreadsheet.]

 

[Matthew H Fish]

The past four days, we have had a heat wave, followed by smoke, in the Willamette Valley. I took the opportunity to go to Newport, on the coast, using the Albany-> Newport shuttle bus from Corvallis to the coast, which is also an Amtrak cross-ticketed bus. It takes a little bit longer than an hour from Corvallis, and costs $5. Once in Newport, I took a city loop bus, and went to the north end of town, and then walked slowly down the beach over the course of hours. It was about 30F cooler, so it was a nice day!
But from a transit point of view:
1. It is surprising that the buses aren't better utilized. There were actually 9 or 10 people on the morning bus going to the beach, so pretty full! But still, when I look at the math of it: there are 60,000 people in Albany, and 60,000 people in Corvallis. That is 120,000 people. If one out of a thousand of those people want to go to the coast on the bus---there are 120 possible passengers! And of course, there are lots of reasons why taking a bus to the coast on any given day isn't in most people's plans...might be difficult with a family, of course people are working, taking the bus means not being able to stop at leisure, etc. But still---especially on a summer day, there are probably hundreds of people who would want to visit the ocean and don't have/don't want to use a car (especially since finding parking etc is not easy on the coast). I just think most people don't know it exists, or wouldn't consider it! Which is strange, considering the general level of environmental consciousness in Corvallis, and even in Albany, that using public transportation isn't something that many people are considering---even when it is cheap and easy.
2. Somewhat related to this, but even though this is an Amtrak cross-ticketed route, it is not actually planned like one. I was looking at the schedules for this bus, and the schedules for the Amtrak Cascades, and the schedules don't really work together. There is actually a possible schedule where someone could take the Cascades, get off, spend the day in Newport, then continue north...by starting from Eugene at 5:30 AM, making a 3 minute connection in Albany at 6:15 AM, and then leaving Newport at 3:20 in the afternoon to get to Albany by 5 PM and making an 11 minute connection for the train north to Seattle...
A lot like what I said with Hood River and the San Juans, it would be nice if these beautiful towns could be easily accessible as day trips from the Cascades.

 

[tgstubbs1]

I was looking at the schedules for this bus, and the schedules for the Amtrak Cascades, and the schedules don't really work together.

Looks like a great ride for $5. Is that a County shuttle? Or is it on the Amtrak web site somehow?
Do any of the local buses go to the Aquarium or the bay area?

 

[Matthew H Fish]

Looks like a great ride for $5. Is that a County shuttle? Or is it on the Amtrak web site somehow?
Do any of the local buses go to the Aquarium or the bay area?

It is both! You can get on it without a reservation and ride it like a "city bus", but you can also get reservations on Amtrak. You can select "Newport, Oregon" as a destination and it will find you a route! It leaves from the Albany Amtrak station. Its Amtrak number is 345X.
The local buses go there, and the shuttle bus actually ends its route at the aquarium.