June /July 2002008888
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Eastside Rail Line Victory Edition Washington Rail News June /July 2002008888 www.AllAboardWashington.org Publication of All Aboard Washington A Not ---for-forforfor----profitprofit Consumer Organization “Moving forward...On Rail ."."." The Battle for the Eastside Rail Line: King Street Station: ready, set, go (finallay)! Phase Two By Ron Sheck By Alfred Runte approve a bond issue, it should ob - Expect considerable work activity at As many members of All Aboard viously include the establishment of and around Seattle’s historic King Washington have expressed, what a passenger rail servi ce. Street Station this s ummer. Roof work difference the past year and a half has This is why your support for All on the station is planned to commence made. In November 2006, we faced the Aboard Washington remains critical; in in July under the direction of the Seat - distinct possibility that the Eastside Rail politics, there is no such thing as a tle Department of Transportation Line (the BNSF Woodinville Subdivi- “safe” decision. Government is always (SDOT). After two years of negotiation sion from Tukwila to Snohomish via in the habit of changing its mind. Rest the City of Seattle and BNSF Railway Bellevue) would be lost. On May 12, assured that we are on top of the situa - reached an agreement in February for 2008, the Port of Seattle agreed to the tion, but there are man y ways for King sale of King Street Station to the city. final terms of purchase of the line from County and the Port to stall. Gasoline At a public ceremony on March 5, the BNSF and announced that public at $4 to $5 a gallon this summer will be transfer documents were signed by hearings on the line’s future will begin a plus for pushing for rail service. As Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and BNSF this summer. Our challenge now is to gas becomes less and less affordable, Railway Director of Government Affairs convince the Port and King County that the rail line’s use as a transit corridor Andrew Johnsen. The mayor and use of the railroad should not be de- looks better all the time. Seattle City Council Transportation layed. Whatever argument might be Our opponents still hope we will tire Committee Chair Jan Drago signed the made for the adjoining bicycle trail, of the battle and simply go away. As $10.00 check to the railway to con - passenger rail service should come they know, our financial obstacle is one summate the purpose. The Mayor first. of perception. As an activist, educa - noted that although the agreement pro - However, from what we are hearing tional organization, we lack the per- vided for a sale price of $1.00, the on the political grapevine, proponents ceived detachment of a think tank. We City’s accounting system could not of the trail are hoping to stall the rail did not ponder the situation; rather, we write a check for less than $10.00; what a deal for the Rai lroad, ten times their anticipated gain! The transfer of ownership of King Street Station to the City of Seattle also led to a reshuffling of responsibilities for renovation of the station. Since the late 1990s, the Washington State De- partment of Transportation has been the lead agency for this work. WSDOT assembled a financing package totaling From This… To This? $19.2 million from a variety of sources: The Eastside Line, left, which has been used by BNSF only for local freight service, near state appropriations; Amtrak; Sound downtown Bellevue. On the right is a vision of the potential passenger carrying capability Transit; the Federal Transit Administra - of the Eastside Line in the future. Left, photo by Jim Hamre; Right, art by J. Craig Thorpe tion ( FTA); the Federal Highway Ad - improvements. Julia Patterson of the took a stand. The moment we did we ministration (FHWA); and the South King County Council has already pro- were no longer just “thinking.” Having (See King Street Station, page 7) posed a bond issue exclusively to fund made up our minds, we were no longer the trail. Naturally, All Aboard Wash- considered “objective.” The principa l Ken Uzna nski, WSD OT Rail Office ington would oppose that as contrary to funding agencies pay for process – for manager, receives All Aboard our understanding that the rail line has assessing public opinion and filing re - Washinton’s Tom Martin Award. equal priority. If voters are asked to (See Battle, page 6) See page 8. page 2 needs and possibilities. The Amtrak Cas- younger crowd, featured recorded G - From the desk of cades and Sounder, as well as intercity rated “pre-adolescent rock.” The kids the Government and urban passenger rail operations na - present and even some mid -year-olds Affairs Director tionwide , are undergoing an unprece- and seniors enjoyed the well -scrubbed dented boom in ridership and revenue. show, including a rowdy seventy - bybyby Now, fellow rail advocates, just be- som ething gent who did the limbo and Lloyd H. Flem cause this bit of HR 6003 progress has later grabbed a senior lady to dance the happened in DC, that does not let us off jitterbug to the swing music. He had so Serious Federal Rail Funding – A the hook on contacting our House mem- much fun he missed his departing train! Start; Train Day 2008; bers. Reread the letter we sent for details AAWA was closely involved and was of HR 6003, note the contact numbers, given the opportunity to deliver much of Operation Lifesaver – Yes! and communicate! Although passenger the “serious” Train Day me ssage. My Washington state members of AAWA rail is seen as a hig her priority for public short speech (predictably) asked atten - have received my letter asking you to and private investments than any time in dee s to contact their local, state and fed- contact your US House member to sup- decades and elected officials are more eral elected officials about increased in- port HR 6003 and HR 6004, a pair of im- aware of the rail option than before, they vestments in passenger trains. The need portant pro-passenger-rail bills. Very are inundated with work, requests, issues was strongly emphasized by the almost good news on HR 6003, the “Passenger and, for most, reelection! World War II -sized crowds waiting for Rail Investment and Improvement Act of Another means of contact, albeit less and ar riving on existing Amtrak trains. I 2008,” which would reauthorize Amtrak ef fective than a letter, is to phone 1 -800- also presented our Tom Martin Award, and accomplish much more, including 697 -1581, NARP Code 1189, and pro- that given for exceptional work to ad - building high speed rail. HR 6003 passed ceed as voice -directed to access your vance the cause of passenger rail service the Railroad subcommittee in the Pacific Northwest, to Ken on May 14 and the full Shockingly high and rapidly climbing Uznanski, manager of the Transportation and Infra- WSDOT Rail Office. Ken, with a structure (T&I) committee on motor fuel costs; deteriorating relatively mod est staff and May 22. What was particu- commercial air service; and serious funds, has led the implementa - larly encouraging about the tion of what is nationally, even full committee passage was environmental, traffic congestion and internationally , seen as one of its unanimous bipartisan safety concerns all join to make “More the best rail corridor Amtrak services in the US. The AAWA support. Not only T&I Chair Jim passenger trains!” an obvious answer. Board and Amtrak execs at the Oberstar (D-MN) and Railroad subcom- House member on HR 6003. Now, let’s state and national level em - mittee Chair Corrine Brown (D-FL) but act…and inform me of responses you get phatically endorsed our honoring Ken Ranking T&I Republican John Mica (FL) from your representative. with the award bearing the name of the and ranking Railroad subcommittee ☯☯☯☯☯☯☯ late Tom Martin, a dedicated founder and member Bill Shuster (R-PA) wrote state- Some of you attended the first annual benefactor to our organization. ments of strong support. Mica had tradi- National Train Day, for us held at King AAWA’s Dr. Al Runte of Seattle, one tionally not been supportive of Amtrak, Street Station on May 10. Seattle’s Train of America’s foremost railroad historians, but endorsed HR 6003, with its significant Day was designed essentially as a fun keynoted the formal program with his Amtrak funding, in large part because the family -type celebration. Some dedicated passionate revi ew of the importance of bill included specific language to require rail advocates felt there might have been rail in building our country, its vital role as the USDOT to seek proposals for the de- more emphasis on trains as transporta - a preserver of resources and landscapes, tion and les s Disney, but the day was and the need to reestablish rail’s promi - velopment of high speed rail in the st Northeast Corridor and across the coun- very well planned and conducted by Am - nence in the 21 Century. (Al’s verbal try. Mica, like Chairman Oberstar, has trak employees, led performances are GOOD . I made certain been particularly impressed by the fast by Dan Engstrom Al’ s speech occurred af ter mine; I may trains serving western European coun- and Gay Banks- be a competent public speaker, but fol - tries. In addition, Shuster said, “One way Olson. Us older lowing Al would be like a competent local to address road and air congestion is by folks delighted in rock band following the Rolling Stones in expanding our rail passenger system – the evocative live concert!) especially high speed rail.” swing, pop and jazz Our large AAWA info table was The small but noisy anti-passenger played by Seattle’s granted the best possible location.