Washington Rail News February /march 2008 www.AllAboardWashington.org Publication of All Aboard Washington A Not ---for-forforfor----profitprofit Consumer Organization “Moving forward...On Rail ."."." Storms scuttle Amtrak service Updates: Northwest Corridor infrastructure by Jim Long improvements and 2007 ridership numbers Extreme winter weather fell hard on the Pacific Northwest in early December, In a Jan. 22 meeting with Ken Uz- mission to rule on closing the Hickox Rd. bringing heavy rainfall and snowfall to Ore - nanski, Kevin Jeffers and Jeff Schultz of grade cr ossing, which has local opposi- gon and Washington. Beginning late on the WSDOT Rail and Marine office, All tion. If closure approval is given, the sid - Dec. 2, back -to-back storms gripped the re- Aboard Washington received an update ing will be extended to 9000 feet so pas - gion, causing fatalities and imperiling hun - on infrastructure improvements planned senger and freight trains can pass, re - dreds. Landslides and hig h water blocked and under construction in the Northwest ducing delays to the Cascades. Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks used Rail Corridor over the next several years. Stanwood siding and station: the sid- by Amtrak north and south of Seattle, These improvements directly support im- ing is being upgraded to make it more wreaking havoc on train service, mainly in proved Amtrak Cascades operations and usable but BNSF wants it extended be - Washington. (eventually) additional frequencies. Here fore allowing the new Stanwood station According to BNSF spokesman Gus are the highlights. to be built, a $16 mill. expense that is not Melonas, a land slide near Felida (between Customs Facility Siding in Blaine: budgeted at this time. The construction of Vancouver and Ridgefield) block ed both construction is expected to start in July to the Stanwood station is also held up be - main lines about 2:30 a .m. on Monday, improve the siding used by Customs offi- cause of the Federal Railroad Adminis- Dec. 3. Although crews had one of the two cials to inspect freight train cargo. The tration trying to force level boarding for all main tracks cleared by 10:00 a .m., a 48- improvements will allow more reliable passengers at all stations. Despite near hour moratorium on passenger trains is passenger service through the area. universal opposition and rail transit al- customary in slide situations, to permit un - stable soil to settle and reduce the risk of Mt. Vernon siding extension: this ready being the most handicapped ac - recurring slides. Additional rainfall can pro- project has been delayed while waiting cessible form of transportation, FRA is long the closures until soils can drain and for the Utilities and Transportation Com- not listening. (There are nearly 50 station stabilize. projects throughout the Northbound Coast Starlight trains were country being held up be- terminated at Eugene, with alternate trans - cause of this issue. In the portation to points north provided by motor - Northwest, we operate coach. As conditions worsened , a 20-mile passenger rail cars with stretch of Interstate 5 near Centralia was four different door heights; blocked by floodwaters up to ten feet deep, which type are we sup- making travel by motorcoach impossible, posed to use for “level while also submerging the BNSF main line boarding” design?) through the area. Amtrak announced that PA Jct. in Everett: the Coast Starlight's alternate transporta- curves will be flattened and tion would not serve points beyond three additional yard tracks Portland. will be built to speed up On Dec. 5, Amtrak Cascades service trains, resulting in less north of Portland was canceled with no al - The Coast Starlight, with it’s first class Pacific Parlour blockage of the mainline. ternate transportation possible. Service Car, above, passes the state History Museum in Tacoma south of Portland continued to operate. The Construction will begin this in March 2007. Amtrak plans to relaunch the Starlight on Seattle section of the Empire Builder, which spring. May 10 with refurbished equipment and upgraded ameni - at first was terminated in Everett due to ties, meals and services. This matches the upgrade to the Ballard: double tracking slides between Everett and Seattle, was Empire Builder in 2005. To the delight of many riders, and crossovers between later cut back to Wenatchee because of Amtrak will keep and overhaul the nearly 50 year old the tracks are under con- further slides. Alternate transportation con- Parlour cars (originally build by the Santa Fe RR as struction. This is a Sound tinued to serve all stops for trains 7 and 8. lounge cars). The Starlight’s on-time performance over Transit project. Sounder commuter trains operating be - Union Pacific has markedly improved since last fall, but King St. Station and twee n Everett and Seattle also were can - still remains more spotty that it should be, especially SODO district: the cutover celed. The Portland section of the Empire since Amtrak needs to grow ridership and revenue by of the relocated mainline Builder was unaffected by the storms. selling a world class experience. Unfortunately , a massive (to the east side of the By late on the 5th, Amtrak announced mud slide in the Oregon Cascades on Jan. 20 has closed passenger train mainten- that most Amtrak Cascades service would UP’s tracks for at least several weeks. Inexplicably, Am - ance base) will happen this resume on Dec. 6, except for trains 506 and trak, after providing a bus bridge from Eugene to Klamath summer. Sounder station 507 between Portland and Seattle. Pas- Falls for six days, has shut down the entir e Seattle -Los (See Updates, page 4) sengers on the affected 506 and 507 train Angeles operation of the Coast Starlight for the duration (See Storms, page 5) of the closure. Photo by Zack Willhoite page 2 Council and BNSF assumed the “Grand - some form of passenger rail, not just a re - From the desk of daddy of all Trails” would totally replace this creational trail. the Government admittedly now “imperfect” but crucial rail The only public witnesses were mysel f resource, with the vague possibility that and contract lobbyist Bill Stauffacher, Affairs Director “…if there is need in 20 -30 years, perhaps representing BNSF. I of course supported bybyby some kind of high -capacity transportation HB 2344’s intent to “preserve rail corridors” could be built on the Corridor.” as an affirmative first step. Praise for the Lloyd H. Flem Two counters to that: First, the need is three-party agreement to keep the rails in - now! Would a multi -billion dollar project in- tact came next, including mention of th ose Progress in Saving the Eastside creasing capacity on parallel I -405 in an on the King County Council and Port of Line; They Do Work Hard; attempt to address severe traffic congestion Seattle who have opposed destruction of Starlight and Builder be pendi ng if there was no need? Secondly, the rail infrastructure . As an exponent of old What a difference a year makes! Last whether the proponents of the vague future technology and an ex -Geography prof, I winter All Aboard Washington’s initial efforts placement of (one assumes) rail on the trail had old-fashioned paper maps of the state to reverse what we deem to be the negative are naïve or know the reality, once tracks which depicted in glaring detail, the rail li ne decision to tear up the tracks on BNSF’s are torn up in the US economic and political abandonments that occurred in the state Woodinville Subdivision (popularly called interests have virtually always been able to between 1970 and 2000. (Thanks to the the Eastside Rail Line) were greeted with keep the rails from being reinstalled, even short line renaissance and state assistance, such comments as “No use, it’s all over; the when it’s shown it is strongly in the public the hemorrhaging of our rail infrastructure tracks are gone”; “You people may be right, interest to do so. As one who likes to have has slowed since 2000.) but nobody else cares”; “The tracks no faith in decision makers, I hope it was While emphasizing my overall good re - good and dangerous”; ”A trail is what naïveté. lations with BNSF, I coul dn’t resist; I had to people want and need.” Back to Jan. 24. The HTC meeting fea- zap BNSF for their efforts in 1993 to eradi - While advocacy of intercity passenger tured three panels on rail issues, de aling cate the Stampede Pass line, including their rail service remains our primary attempts to discourage the state mission, preserving an irreplace- What happened in Olympia on Jan. from acquiring the “No value, able rail corridor with tracks intact, never needed, worn out rail line.” which runs north-south through 24 at a House Transportation But following the state’s desire to the heart of the booming and traf- Committee work session and preserve the line and some “inter- fic-congested, east-of-Lake esting” dealings with Washington Washington suburbs, became an hearing symbolized the progress Central Railroad, BNSF retained important focus for us. And it is made by AA WA’s overall efforts …in Stampede Pass, correctly now quite rewarding to see this cam- touting it as an essential statewide paign is bearing some fruit. preserving an intact Eastside Line. transportation resource, and last year asked for $25 mill. in state In King County, AA WA Chair- with Eastern Washington’s Palouse River funds to help upgrade the line! man Chuck Mott, newly-appointed Exec. and Coulee City RR, rail infrastructure My maps highlighted Stampede Pass, Dir. Al Runte (the nature of the work I have needs in Clark County and the Eastside now seen as important by all, and the East - done for over 22 years will not change at Rail Corri dor.