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Washington State DOT offers state funding for freight rail projects
How about helping railroads set up coal export terminals?
Outstanding! This should become a pilot plan for the region and the country. I do not see why states like Tennessee and Virginia don’t build a second or third main track along the I-81 corridor and get the truck traffic off of the interstate. The time has come for this to be the norm instead of the excetion.
Wonderful news! The shortlines do need some help, especially to allow them to better handle to heavier (286K?) cars.The $7.33M isn’t much, but my hope is that it’s a “test” to see how well the grants improve safety and servive, and that the program will be expanded in the future. The biggest concern is wether or not the BNSF and UP are able to handle extra traffic.
A front page article in Sunday’s Seattle Times dealt with the fact that grain shipments have taken a back seat to oil and coal traffic as it is more lucretive. It also discussed whether BNSF has the capacity to handle the predicted additional 24 loaded oil and coal trains (not to mention the return empties. Granted, BNSF hasundertaken a massive program to increase capacity, but you can only construct moree and longer sidings and sections with 2 main tracks.
John Lee,
If the bridges are still there and viable, yes to a second S,P&S Pasco-Spokane main.
Same proviso: intensify use of Stampede Pass’s ex NP route and consider the revival of the Milwaukee Road’s Snoqualmie(sp?) pass route.
Then too, there’s great value in keeping grain harvesting and logging trucks from wearing out rural roads. Thus, branch lines and short lines might be taken off life-support.
I hope SP&S will come back Pasco - Spokane. I don’t think anyone in WA would oppose that and it would really increase capacity.
Perhaps the Tacoma Eastern will ask for some assistance in fixing the washout near Morton, so the Railroad Tie mill can resume shippments by rail.
Perhaps the Tacoma Eastern will ask for some assistance in fixing the washout near Morton, so the Railroad Tie mill can resume shippments by rail.
Perhaps the Tacoma Eastern will ask for some assistance in fixing the washout near Morton, so the Railroad Tie mill can resume shippments by rail.
Perhaps the Tacoma Eastern will ask for some assistance in fixing the washout near Morton, so the Railroad Tie mill can resume shippments by rail.
Given the political climate in this state, the coal terminal is a bit out of reach, especially state funding.
Our Legislature has been stalemated for years on basic road and highway maintenance funding, so where this $7.33 million is coming from is a mystery to me.
As far as Stampeded Pass, would be a good congestion reliever, but coal and oil trains up there? Not so much.
The old Milwaukee Road right of way will never see trains again from Seattle to the Columbia River as the Rails to Trails has now been fully entrenched and they’ll never surrender the trail now. The Stampede route needs the tunnel modified for double stacks. If the old NP at Ellensburg could head east, rather than going to Pasco and Yakima, that would make a viable although expensive alternative.
Not only political climate, don’t forget all the tree huggers who have no clue what they are protesting.
Not only political climate, don’t forget all the tree huggers who have no clue what they are protesting.