Washington State Rail Plan Integrated Freight and Passenger Rail Plan 2013-2035 March 2014 Rail Division Funding support from Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information The material can be made available in an alternative format by emailing the WSDOT Diversity/ADA Affairs team at [email protected] or by calling toll free, 855-362-4ADA (4232). Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may make a request by calling the Washington State Relay at 711. Title VI Notice to Public It is the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) policy to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its federally funded programs and activities. Any person who believes his/her Title VI protection has been violated may file a complaint with WSDOT’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). For additional information regarding Title VI complaint procedures and/or information regarding our non-discrimination obligations, please contact OEO’s Title VI Coordinator, Jonté Sulton at 360-705-7082 or [email protected]. www.wsdot.wa.gov/equalopportunity Notificación de Titulo VI al Público Es la póliza de el Departamento de Transportación del Estado de Washington de asegurar que ninguna persona sea excluida de participación o sea negado los beneficios, o sea discriminado bajo cualquiera de sus programas y actividades financiado con fondos federales sobre la base de raza, color, origen nacional o sexo, como proveído por el Título VI de el Acto de Derechos Civiles de 1964. Cualquier persona que cree que sus protecciones de Titulo VI han sido violadas, puede hacer una queja con la Oficina de Igualdad de Oportunidades (OEO). Para información adicional con respecto a procedimientos de quejas de Titulo VI y/o información con respecto a nuestras obligaciones sin discriminación, por favor de comunicarse con los Coordinadores de Titulo VI de la Oficina de Igualdad de Oportunidades (OEO), Jonte’ Sulton 360-705-7082 [email protected]. www.wsdot.wa.gov/equalopportunity Washington State Rail Plan Integrated Freight and Passenger Rail Plan 2013-2035 Washington State Department of Transportation PO Box 47407 310 Maple Park Avenue SE Olympia, Wash. 98504-7407 360-705-7900 www.wsdot.wa.gov/rail Prepared by: Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 555 12th Street, Suite 1600 Oakland, CA 94607 Acknowledgements Washington State Department of Transportation Lynn Peterson, Secretary of Transportation Cam Gilmour, Deputy Secretary Amy Scarton, Assistant Secretary, Community & Economic Development Ron Pate, Director, Rail Division Stakeholder Advisory Committee Bruce Agnew, Cascadia Center Dan O’Neal, Transportation Commission Gay Banks Olson, Amtrak Paul Parker, Transportation Commission Pat Boss, Port of Quincy Ashley Probart, Freight Mobility Strategic Dan Burke, Port of Seattle Investment Board Rob Coffman, Lincoln County/PCC Rail Authority Robin Rettew, Office of Financial Management Patric Connelly, Port of Quincy Michael Rock, Oregon Department of Transportation Alyson Cummings, Office of Financial Management Gordon Rogers, Whatcom Council of Governments Robert Eaton, Amtrak Bob Steele, British Columbia Ministry of Lloyd Flem, All Aboard Washington Transportation Randy Hayden, Port of Pasco Ryan Stewart, Spokane Regional Transportation Patrick Kerr, Genesee & Wyoming Council Eric Maier, Washington Wheat Growers Steve Stivala, MacMillan-Piper Cathrine Martin, Genesee & Wyoming Karen Waterman, Sound Transit Brock Nelson, Union Pacific Railroad Colleen Weatherford, BNSF Railway WSDOT Internal Review Team Jerry Ayres, Public Transportation Division Lisa Popoff, North Central Region Ken Burgstahler, Southwest Region Charles Prestrud, Urban Planning Office John Gruber, South Central Region Tom Stacey, Northwest Region/Mount Baker Area Charlene Kay, Eastern Region Project Team WSDOT Cambridge Systematics Bill Bennion, Transportation Planning Office Andreas Aeppli Teresa Graham, Rail Division Chiranjivi Bhamidipati Chris Herman, Freight Systems Division Mary Connelly Jeremy Jewkes, Rail Division Michael Fischer Laura Kingman. Rail Division Sophie Hartshorn Kathy Murray, Transportation Planning Office Caroline Leary Thomas Noyes, Urban Planning Office Yi Lin Pei Angela Risher, Rail Division Allan Rutter Kerri Woehler, Rail Division Beth Wemple Ron West Federal Railroad Administration Leo Wetula Peter Schwartz Susan Herre This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Railroad Administration under a grant/cooperative agreement dated September 22, 2011. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Railroad Administration and/or U.S. DOT. About the Plan The Washington State Rail Plan was prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation Rail Division, the state rail transportation authority that will also maintain, coordinate and administer the plan. The years of this plan are 2013 to 2018 with a horizon year in 2035. It contains analysis of rail volumes using 2010 as a base year, with forecasts to 2035. Funding is provided by the state and Federal Railroad Administration. The plan complies with federal requirements of 49 CFR 266.15 and state requirements of RCW 47.76.220, 47.06.080, 47.06.090, 47.79.040 and 47.04.280. It builds upon previous rail plans and is consistent with the Washington Transportation Plan (2007 and 2010). Freight and passenger rail are covered in this plan. The plan is a collaborative effort of WSDOT, railroads, Amtrak, state and local agencies, citizen’s groups, tribes, other rail stakeholders and members of the public. WSDOT worked closely with Oregon Department of Transportation to coordinate rail planning efforts, and British Columbia also participated in the process. The image above is a “word cloud” of the State Rail Plan text. Certain common words throughout the document (such as “rail,” “state,” “system,” “transportation,” “WSDOT,” and common English words) were filtered out of this image to better highlight topics. All word clouds generated at www.wordle.net. Washington State Rail Plan page i page ii Washington State Rail Plan Executive Summary Rail is an integral part of the multimodal transportation system that keeps people and businesses moving in Washington state. Serving freight and passengers, the state’s rail system provides efficient transportation critical to maintaining our economy, environment and quality of life. The Washington State Rail Plan comes during a time of change for rail transportation in the state, with the rail transportation system facing significant near and long-term challenges that include: • Economic and demographic growth will increase demand for passenger and freight rail services, challenging the capacity of the private rail network over which passenger and freight trains operate. Emerging trends, such as proposals to construct new export facilities in the state, suggest the potential for even more acute demands for access to rail infrastructure. • The state’s public and private short-line railroads, which provide Washington communities and shippers valuable access to the North American freight rail network, face infrastructure investment needs in order to preserve these important services. • Federal passenger rail policy has provided capital funding to expand frequency and reliability of intercity passenger rail, but also requires Washington to bear more costs of operating these services. The purpose of the Washington State Rail Plan is to outline strategies for addressing these changes and provide a blueprint for ensuring the continued movement of people and goods on the rail system in support of a healthy economy. Consistent with federal and state requirements, this is the first state rail plan to incorporate freight rail and passenger rail into a unified planning document. The plan describes what is working well, identifies the strengths and challenges, and highlights policy priorities. It sets a course for state action and investment to ensure that these vital Extensive Outreach services continue to meet transportation needs now and through 2035. Rail System Needs and Recommended Actions The Washington State Department of Transportation followed a deliberate process designed to identify and describe the rail system and the state’s interest in it, based on Washington’s transportation system policy goals: economic vitality, preservation, safety, mobility, environment and stewardship. This plan melds the state level policy direction with feedback from stakeholders, Tribes and the public to guide identification of needs Outreach included more than 70 meetings, and development of recommendations. Public actions to improve the rail briefings, interviews and system are identified, and policies for state action are recommended. workshops. Washington State Rail Plan page iii Executive Summary Figure ES.1 Washington Rail System Map WSDOT, BNSF, UP and Amtrak Caption: Caption: the of rail railroads part multimodalare passenger system. Washington’s Freight and services transportation Source: options transportation economicprovide support the vitality state. the and of page iv Washington State Rail Plan Executive Summary Many Parts – One System The rail system is made of different parts, or elements, each with specific roles and Blue text boxes purpose. This system