Washington Rail News February/March 2016 www.AllAboardWashington.org Publication of All Aboard Washington A Not-for-profit Consumer Organization “Moving forward...On Rail." Advancing Northwest Corridor infrastructure King Street Station passengers want to know… projects point to new Cascades runs in 2017 All Aboard Washington recently re- David Smelser, WSDOT Cascades HSR Mudslide mitigation: Four additional ceived the following letter from Don Program Manager, updated All Aboard projects were constructed in 2015 be- Campton, a member from Longview: Washington on the capital investment pro- tween Mukilteo and Everett. The first two Can you advocate for an electronic jects on BNSF’s Northwest Corridor main- projects were done in 2013. The work in- message board at the Seattle Amtrak line between the Canadian border and the cludes retaining walls to catch debris, slide station? I have traveled to/from/ Columbia River during a Jan. 6 interview. detections fences to provide advance through Seattle on Amtrak several The work is mostly funded by $767 mill. in warning, improved drainage and erosion times since the outstanding restora- federal money. control. The Legislature’s 2015 transporta- tion of King Street Station, and I have Corridor Reliability Upgrades: These tion package includes additional mitigation found the absence of any public dis- projects improve the tracks between funding; $1 million is available in the 2015- play showing scheduled arrival/ Nisqually Jct and Vancouver, WA, and be- 17 budget to continue developing addi- departures of trains a real defi- tween Everett and the Canadian border. tional practical solutions. WSDOT is also ciency. I have seen some of the other WSDOT’s funding adds to annual mainte- supporting local storm water management recommendations for the King nance funds programed by BNSF, resulting projects. Sound Transit is working to refine Street Station (e.g., food vendors, in improved track quality for faster travel slide prediction technology. gift shop), but the need for an elec- times and increased passenger comfort. King St. Station Track Improvements: tronic message board is so funda- Work being performed this year include This project completes station track up- mental that it should have been part new ties and ballast, track resurfacing and grades to the south by adding new auto- of the restoration plan. Thank you. replacements of rail joints at movable mated signals and interlockings, and re- It's not just All Aboard Washington’s bridges. building the tracks, including the west leaders that think it is unacceptable that Advanced Wayside Signal System: This track which is currently used only for stor- the beautifully restored King Street Sta- project provides the backbone for an up- age or private cars. The project provides tion, which will have been reopened for graded digital signal system at all control increased capacity and flexibility at the three years in April, still has no passenger points, sidings, turnouts and other loca- station. All station tracks will have access information display system (PIDS). The tions between Blaine and Vancouver, WA. to all mainline tracks leaving and entering over 600,000 Amtrak passengers passing The work supports Positive Train Control the station. Amtrak has completed the de- through the station each year think so, deployment. PTC is in final testing and sign and will manage the construction. The too. awaits Federal Railroad Administration ap- plans are awaiting FRA approval. Construc- Amtrak has been long on promises and proval before being implemented in the (See Infrastructure, page 5) short on results. We have heard a variety corridor. of reasons: No money was budgeted when the station reopened. But Amtrak found money for electronic displays in re- cently restored stations such as at Grand Forks and St. Paul Union De- pot, as well to upgrade the existing system at Portland Union Station. Amtrak and the station owner, the Left: The Kelso to Longview Jct. third main track project requires an additional bridge over City of Seattle, have not signed a the Coweeman River near Longview Jct. Construction is just starting on the bridge. Right: In lease so Amtrak cannot install an in- Vancouver, WA, construction of the yard bypass track (in the foreground) is nearing comple- formation display. We find it puzzling tion. This track will allow freight trains moving between the Columbia Gorge line and the they are still negotiating a lease after Northwest Corridor towards Seattle to bypass the yard and the current slow connection be- tween the two lines. This will improve traffic flow on the north-south mains and allow nearly three years of efforts. The lease Amtrak trains to more easily move through the Vancouver Station. Photos by Jim Hamre (See Passengers, page 5) page 2 passing. conditions. But we also push the some- From the desk of I trust that the $200.000 from St Louis’s times bogged-down bureaucracies who of- the Executive purchase of the three remaining cars will ten proceed, as my late North Dakota-born Director be used for the required adaptations of mother would say, “like molasses in by the two Seattle cars so they can reenter January.” Lloyd H. Flem regular service. Mr. Tom Gibbs, the dedi- Think, the absence of essential passen- cated leader of Seattle’s retaining and put- ger improvements at King Street Station Thanks Talgo; Benson Trolleys; ting to use the Benson Trolleys, will lead nearly three years after the restoration the public campaign for added funds was completed. Or, for past examples, the AAWA Task Forces; Eastside Rail; needed for the adaptations. “won’t work, cost too much, something At the Capitol might go wrong” incantations we heard: A) Talgo has again shown its support for There is still room for you to volunteer Concerning the development of Olympia- All Aboard Washington and the work we to serve on a number of AAWA’s task Lacey’s Centennial Station or B) The return do with their extraordinary act of buying forces (see last issue for a list), designed to of Amtrak service to Vancouver, BC. Both AAWA Holiday gift memberships for all make tangible and measurable gains to- of these became successes, contradicting their US-based employees. This continues ward goals we set to accomplish in 2016. the nay-sayers. the Talgo tradition of support for After these thirty years, you might AAWA. as they acknowledge our long- notice, “Praise and Push, but Old time and distinctive efforts on behalf With only some restraint, I’ll growl Coach Lloyd is gettin’ a bit more of the development and growth of in- growly at times.” tercity passenger rail service in Wash- a bit now about what is happening With only some restraint, I’ll growl ington State. Talgo is already a corpo- to the Eastside RAIL Corridor… a bit now about what is happening to rate AAWA member. Other AAWA the Eastside RAIL Corridor: While the members might also consider AAWA AAWA Board was holding its January 9 gift memberships for relatives or friends. President Karen Keller is holding a meeting in Tukwila, a couple of our people We are biased, of course, but feel an meeting of the “Outreach” group at the attended what was essentially a pep rally AAWA gift membership just might be more Starbucks near the King Street Station at on the Eastside celebrating the continued valued by the recipient than a trinket from about 12:30 PM on Saturday Jan 30. destruction of that irreplaceable a big box store! Chairs of other task forces should be transportation corridor. We heard of the gathering their people in the next few gleeful announcement of a “reverse weeks to constructively proceed. It seems two of the five “Benson Trol- golden spike” ceremony, with tracks “Trains for the Yakima Valley,” one of leys,” which served Seattle’s very popular destroyed, reversing indeed the cel- AAWA’s goals, has people from that part and successful Waterfront Streetcar be- ebrating of the vital joining together by of the state sufficiently interested that we fore they were removed from service iron rails the American west and east at have made four presentations in recent years before reconstruction on the Water- Promontory, Utah. months, one in Kittitas County and three in front began, will be saved and put into use Hopefully we all can finally learn that Yakima County. The latest was in Top- as a practical and delightful form of trans- when the business philosophy of a Class penish on January 20. Seventy people, portation in downtown Seattle. One railroad, in this case BNSF, becomes mostly leaders of cities of the lower The five streetcars were named for the near-totally very long hauls on very long, Yakima valley, heard Loren Herrigstad and late George Benson, who was a personal often-unit trains, it does NOT mean the my presentation. While pleased with the friend, as he served as a Board member of “abandoned” rail infrastructure that once response, we emphasized that returning WashARP (AAWA’s “old” name) and was a served local customers, freight and pas- regular intercity rail service via Stampede fellow UW grad and active member of the senger, with shorter trains and shorter Pass will probably be a long, tough Husky Alumni Band. Mr. Benson was a re- distances, somehow has no value. (Except process. But with persistence and spected and beloved Seattle City Council- to be given to adjacent property owners or particularly with support from state legis- man for many years. He personally ar- be permanently converted, at high cost, to lators and members of Congress serving ranged for securing the five cars from Mel- ONLY recreational uses?!) the area, it can be done. bourne and physically assisted in their AAWA has always supported the preparation for use on the Waterfront line.