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Despite neighboring city protests, Washington rail line to be pulled up
Watch this, the NIMBYs in Bellvue will start crawling out of the woodwork once they give commuter rail serious consideration. It’s basically a fact that you can definitely turn rails to trails, but not turn them back.
The same thing happened in Delmar, N.Y . and Albany when the D.H. took the rail out on the former Albany main line that went to the Port of Albany and would have been great for comuter and the oil trains that go to port today…what shame…Some one has made a bundle of $$$$$$$$ on this foot path for dirt bikes etc…yes…they get their way always…
Politics. If there’s room for a trail and rail, then make the trail next to the rail, rather than convert rail to trail and then make rail next to the trail that was rail.
Trails are becoming numerous and old news. One has to wonder about city leaders who value a trail over a viable rail corridor.
Somebody is getting a big kickback/payday for this deal. Many times the railroads will donate the lines to the city, just so they don’t have to pay the property taxes on it any more. Start checking local politicians campaign finance statements for the big chunks of money coming back from BNSF. That’s how the rich get richer, while the rest of us foot the bills.
The Bicycle Nazi’s get their way again.
I agree with previous posts about Rails-to-Trails. Although there are always noble-sounding noises about “railbanking,” it always seems to be a one way street. Once rails come out you’ll never be able to get them back.
This whole deal stinks. The trail promoters, and the polititians that are on their leash, have no intention of allowing rail back into that corridor once the tracks are lifted. When I-405 was widened, a new rail overpass could have been included in that project to replace the structure that was demolished. The highway project did not compromise the rail right of way in any way except to cause the removal of the old overpass.
The rails to trails program is getting out of control. Now they are convincing towns and communities to snub railroads and I read an article earlier where they are attacking a profitable shortline in New York trying to get the government and communities to get the shortline turned into a trail. The program started out with good intentions but now is run by a bunch of power hungry idiots! Shut them down we have enough trails already
There’s a real problem in upscale suburbs along the east shore of Lake Washington with people wanting any job that involves working with one’s hands to go somewhere else. Only software millionaires and online marketing impressarios need live there. Getting rid of any transportation option to serve factories or other hands-on jobs fits nicely in this elitist NIMBY mindset.
Just so disappointing. A line that should stay and be upgraded for transit is lost to motor vehicular madness.
Stupid and shortsighted. We need more opportunities for public rail transportation in the Eastside, Snohomish, etc, not less.
How many abandoned lines and ripped up tracks ever get replaced?
If the city were sincere about “room for both”, they wouldn’t need to pull up the rails, would they?
you have to understand the tree-hugger mentality that runs King County, they have not the first iota of foresight
you have to understand the tree-hugger mentality that runs King County, they have not the first iota of foresight
Uh, Mr./Ms. Caldwell, “tree huggers” are generally in favor of commuter trains because they have a net reduction in pollution and fuel consumption.
It’s interesting that Seattle, King County and BNSF don’t grasp the concept that they could move a lot of that east-west Stevens Pass and even north-south freight out of downtown Seattle by using the former NP line between Snohomish, Woodinville and Renton. BNSF could even possibly vacate Interbay (prime Seattle real estate which could be sold or developed by BNSF) and build a new yard and engine facility between Renton and Tacoma–perhaps Auburn (location of the old NP yard and engine facility long since removed). Also what a great Eastside commuter line this would have made. Even possibly convert the beloved Burke-Gilman Trail (former NP Seattle to Woodinville line) on the north side of Lake Washington, NE Seattle and University District (UW), back to rails and have a commuter rail loop around Lake Washington that goes back to Seattle from both northeast and southeast directions and tie in with the Sounders. BNSF and local governments could work together to make this Win-Win happen. Unfortunately it appears the political will doesn’t exist to do what is probably best for the vast majority of the local citizens and also create a much more environmentally friendly, and efficient rail based transit system for the growing Eastside. Strange for an area that appears to be politically dominated by Democrats and environmentalists. I once lived that north end Lake Washington commute where the transit buses are stuck in continual stop lights and long lines of traffic with the cars–never again.
I was a member of the Rails to Trails group years ago when I started bike commuting to work in Northern Virgina. I could get to work faster on a bike riding 12 miles in each direction that I could driving my car. It was the WO+D trail that had been abandoned in the 1960’s and the first few miles became I-66. In the beginning they were sensible about conversions because it was often routes that had been abandoned years before. Now they just push to get more members and they think all rails should be removed so everyone will ride a bike to and from work. I see far to many rail routes that have great value and great potential but NIMBY’s don’t want to hear or see a train. End result was I quit them a long time ago.
once the rails are removed it is too costly to reinstall them, all the rest is history