Much progress has been made on BNSF’s second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho. Rolling through on the existing 4,769-foot bridge (completed by Northern Pacific in 1904) on Sept. 5th is train H-BARPAS, a Barstow, Calif., to Pasco, Wash., manifest that detoured via Denver due to wildfire damage on BNSF’s route in northern […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit is renaming and color-coding its rail transit network, reflecting the continued growth of a system that will eventually grow to include five light-rail routes and two commuter-rail lines, as well as three bus rapid transit lines. On its website, the agency says the change reflects research showing letters and numbers are […]
SEATTLE— BNSF Railway is not subject to local zoning laws in its plan to add a second track along part of its main line through Washington’s Columbia Gorge, a U.S. appeals court has ruled. The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court judgment that federal law — specifically, the Interstate […]
OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak will resume operation of the Coast Starlight over its full Seattle-Los Angeles route, beginning with departures from both endpoints on Monday, Aug. 23, following completion of bridge work between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, Calif. However, the train’s sleeping-car inventory currently remains limited for more than a month after its […]
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A man arrested for trespassing on BNSF property during a protest over oil and coal trains will be allowed to argue in court that the action was his only recourse in addressing climate change, the Washington state Suprme Court has ruled. The Spokane Spokesman-Review reports the court ruled unanimously that Rev. George […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s board has voted to delay most elements of future expansion of its light rail system by two to 10 years to address a projected $6.5 billion funding shortfall. The Seattle Times reports the so-called “realignment” plan, for projects approved by voters under the Sound Transit 3 ballot initiative, does move up […]
OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak says it is “actively working” with Union Pacific on a plan to restore service on the full Coast Starlight route between Los Angeles and Seattle, but does not yet have a date when that will occur. Service has been disrupted since UP’s 1,200-foot Dry Canyon Bridge was damaged June 28 by […]
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A Bellingham woman has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge and violence against a railroad carrier as a result of a November 2020 incident involving BNSF Railway in the Bellingham area. The Associated Press reports Samantha Frances Brooks, 27, entered a guilty plea in July and a federal judge accepted the plea last […]
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak’s Coast Starlight began operating as Los Angeles-Sacramento, Calif., and Seattle-Klamath Falls, Ore., sections linked by an overnight bus ride as of Friday, July 16, but travelers haven’t been able to make new reservations, even on the unaffected parts of the route. The Seattle-Klamath Falls portion had been dropped after a wildfire […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific may temporarily reopen its idled Global III intermodal terminal in Rochelle, Ill., to help relieve congestion at its Global IV terminal in Joliet, Ill. UP informed customers Wednesday it will temporarily halt shipments of international containers from all West Coast ports to its Global IV terminal for up to a week, […]
WASHINGTON — Sound Transit will receive more than $250 million in federal grants for a pair of projects extending light rail lines, Washington state’s two U.S. senators announced Friday. The awards come as the agency prepares to announce plans to delay some planned construction projects as a result of a $12 billion funding shortfall — […]
LEBANON, Ore. — Santiam Excursion Trains, which operates on the Albany & Eastern Railroad in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, has announced it will begin operating with a steam locomotive this fall. Coming to the tourist operation will be Santa Maria Valley No. 205, a 2-6-2 built by Baldwin in 1924. Retired and placed on display in […]
