WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some $138 million in funding is now available for transit agencies in Washington state, the first money coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray announced, saying the state will receive $1.79 billion over the next five years. “These funds are critical to helping meet the ridership […]
Zone & Region: Pacific Northwest
Runaway tank car travels more than 15 miles before being stopped
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A runaway tank car reportedly reached speeds of up to 50 mph on a trip of more than 15 miles Tuesday before finally being stopped when it reached an upgrade, the Walla Walla Union Bulletin reports. The GATX tank car broke loose from a Columbia-Walla Walla Railway train in Walla Walla […]
Montana Rail Link to end operations, with BNSF taking over
[<Trains.com members> WATCH: BIG SKIES & IRON RAILS VIDEOS] MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Rail Link will end its long-term lease on BNSF Railway lines in its namesake state, Idaho, and Washington, with BNSF resuming operation of those routes, MRL President Derek Ollmann told employees in a memo today (Monday, Jan. 10). No timeline for the […]
Mudslides, snow threat trigger more Amtrak cancellations, delays
PORTLAND, Ore. – Heavy rains in the Pacific Northwest caused a mudslide near Kelso, Wash., on Thursday morning that temporarily shut down BNSF Railway’s main line between Portland and Seattle. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent tells Trains News Wire, “The mud slides north of Kelso have impacted both freight and passenger service. Our crews have been […]
Greenbrier to build 6,200 freight cars in first quarter
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. – The adoption of precision scheduled railroading may be causing railroads to downsize their locomotive and car fleets, but freight carbuilder Greenbrier Cos. still received new orders of 6,200 units valued at $670 million for the first fiscal quarter of 2022. Car orders include intermodal, boxcars, gondolas, tank cars, covered hoppers, and automobile carriers. […]
Amtrak struggles to recover from winter weather challenges
WASHINGTON — The well-publicized snowstorm that stranded motorists for 24 hours along Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Va., didn’t spare Amtrak trains operating through the region from cancellations and monumental delays. But the disruptions weren’t limited to the Northeast, as mudslides, cold temperatures, and snow caused route truncations and delays elsewhere. In Virginia, trees laden with […]
Senators call for study of additional Amtrak service in Northwest
WASHINGTON — In a boost to efforts to reestablish Amtrak service along the former North Coast Hiawatha route, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to establish a group to study additional passenger service in the Pacific Northwest. The Missoula Current reports the senators — Republicans Mitt Romney (Utah), […]
Washington woman receives one year in prison for shunt incident on BNSF
SEATTLE — A 28-year-old Bellingham, Wash., woman has been sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted earlier this year for using a shunt to disrupt signals on a BNSF Railway line in Bellingham. Ellen Brennan Reiche, 28, also was given three years of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service in sentencing […]
Major private collection of steam locomotives is sold to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (updated)
MERRILL, Ore. — What is perhaps the single largest private collection of steam locomotives, mostly from the western U.S., has been sold and will soon be dispersed following the death of its long-time owner. The Fred M. Kepner collection of 14 steam locomotives and other railroad equipment has been purchased by the Oregon Coast Scenic […]
Woman receives $6.9 million in Amtrak derailment lawsuit
SEATTLE — In the latest in a series of lawsuits stemming from the fatal 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train, a 28-year-old Seattle woman has received $6.9 million in damages for injuries she suffered in the accident at DuPont, Wash. Kylie Steele, who was 24 at the time of the accident, had “a life […]
‘Amtrak Cascades,’ ‘Coast Starlight’ switch to Point Defiance Bypass
TACOMA, Wash. — One month shy of four years since a fatal derailment on the inaugural morning postponed their debut, Amtrak trains between Seattle and Portland, Ore., are using Sound Transit’s Lakewood Subdivision and a new station co-located with the agency’s commuter service. Using the new route, funded with state and federal funds as part […]
Port of Longview receives funding for rail expansion
LONGVIEW, Wash. — The Port of Longview will receive a $16 million federal grant to help fund its multiyear Industrial Rail Corridor Expansion. The project will double rail capacity at the port. Funds will be used to construct a six-track rail right-of-way adjacent to the existing corridor, two additional 8,500-foot tracks and increase the length […]
