Date:  Monday, September 20, 2010

Contact: Victoria Tobin, WSDOT Communications, 206-464-1184; mobile: 206-375-2412
Noel Brady, WSDOT Communications, 206-464-1183; mobile: 206-406-3179
Steve Abernathy, Intercity Bus Program Planner, 360-705-7929 (Olympia)

SPOKANE — People from Spokane to Deer Park, Chewelah and Colville cheered Saturday as a brand new Gold Line bus made its inaugural trek through Northeast Washington to a ceremonial ribbon cutting in Kettle Falls.

Aboard a 26-passenger bus, one of three purchased for the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Gold Line service, passengers headed to the ceremony watched through the window as lush forests, rolling plains and towns with names like Loon Lake and Arden glided by along 93 miles on US 395.

“This is something that Kettle Falls and many other towns and communities in this part of the state have needed for a long time,” said Kettle Falls Mayor Dorothy Slagle at the ribbon cutting in her town. “We haven’t had regular bus service here since the 1980s. If you didn’t have a car, you had to find a ride.”

Slagle joined WSDOT Public Transportation Division Administrator Katy Taylor in a ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated the Gold Line as a long-awaited option both for residents who needed a better transportation option and travelers eager to experience Northeast Washington’s natural landscape.

“We’re standing in a part of the state that is rich in natural resources, such as timber and gold, and known for pristine landscapes and its wealth of culture and heritage,” Taylor said. “Today we celebrate a new way for people to experience this wonderful part of our state.”

Travel Washington, WSDOT’s intercity bus service, began Gold Line service on Sept. 8. It is the fourth bus line of Travel Washington and it exemplifies the program’s commitment to provide convenient and accessible travel options to rural communities and people with special needs.

The program uses Federal Transit Administration funds and local matching funds from Greyhound Bus Lines to develop rural intercity bus routes. Other Travel Washington bus lines include:

• The Grape Line with stops between Walla Walla and Pasco since December 2007
• The Dungeness Line, connecting the Olympic Peninsula with Edmonds, Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport since September 2008
• The Apple Line with stops along its 160-mile route from Omak, through Wenatchee and on to Ellensburg since October 2008

More information about Travel Washington is available at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/transit/intercity

By filling in the gaps in the state’s transit network, Travel Washington makes the whole transportation system more efficient, reduces traffic delay for everyone and cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. For more information about WSDOT’s approach to sustainable transportation, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/SustainableTransportation

Reducing transportation demand is an important part of Moving Washington, the state’s three-part transportation strategy. Providing more options for commuters — from carpool programs to transit to telecommuting — reduces the number of vehicles on our highways and bridges. For more information about Moving Washington, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/movingwashington

Photos of the new Gold Line buses are available to media by contacting Noel Brady, bradyn@wsdot.wa.gov, 206-464-1183; (mobile) 206-406-3179

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