SANDPOINT, Idaho — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a favorable ruling for BNSF Railway’s efforts to build a second set of bridges on its main line near Sandpoint, a plan which has been fought by some local residents. The Coast Guard — which has jurisdiction because the bridge is over a navigable waterway — […]
SEATTLE — In what’s believed to be the first suit stemming from the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades passenger train to go to trial, three of those injured in the wreck are seeking damages in federal court in Tacoma, Wash. The trial, which began Tuesday, Sept. 3, and is tentatively scheduled for eight […]
LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Sound Transit broke ground Tuesday on its latest light rail extension, an 8.5-mile, four-stop extension north to the Snohomish County community of Lynnwood. When it opens in 2024, the extension promises riders the ability to travel from Lynnwood to downtown Seattle in 28 minutes, and will see trains every 4 to 6 […]
PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the most famous 4-8-4 locomotives in America is fired up for a series of short trips on the Oregon Pacific Railroad this week. Southern Pacific “Daylight” No. 4449 will lead a series of brief excursions on Aug. 28 from its home at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland to […]
A view of the wreckage of derailed Amtrak Cascades Train 501 on Dec. 18, 2017. The passenger cars in the picture were made by Talgo. Steve Carter SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Transportation has been awarded a $37.5 million Federal Railroad Administration grant to replace three state-owned Talgo 6 trainsets used on Amtrak […]
SEATTLE — A steam locomotive that worked for years in the Pacific Northwest is headed home after a vacation in Arizona. Former Northern Pacific No. 1762 and Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 539, a 2-8-2 Mikado built in 1917, has been acquired by the Port of Kalama, located along the Columbia River near Longview Wash. […]
SEATTLE — Seattle’s financially-troubled on-again, off-again Center City Connector streetcar project appears to be on again. The Seattle Department of Transportation has asked the City Council for $9 million for additional design and engineering work on the mile-long line through downtown that would link two operating streetcar lines. Mayor Jenny Durkan suspended work on the […]
Morning Amtrak Cascades No. 500 heads north near Salem, Ore., in June 2015. Amtrak has pledged funds in support of an Oregon effort to secure a federal grant to add a passing siding on the Cascades route south of Portland, Ore. Bob Johnston OREGON CITY, Ore. — Amtrak has pledged to contribute $750,000 to a […]
SEATTLE — One of Sound Transit’s latest light rail projects is featuring what the transit agency says is a first-of-its kind rail line on a floating bridge. The Seattle Times reports that after more than a decade dealing with the technical challenges involved, the agency is installing tracks on the Interstate 90 bridge across Lake […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland-area officials are beginning to explore the possibility of building a light-rail tunnel under downtown to address the bottleneck at the center of the city’s rail system. The Oregon Metro website says the idea, still in its early stages, was first floated two years ago as transit agency TriMet looked at ways to […]
SEATTLE — A newly released business-case study argues that ultra-high-speed ground transportation in the Vancouver, British Columbia-Seattle-Portland, Ore., corridor would deliver economic and social benefits, and could cover its operating costs as soon as 2040. But getting to such a system by 2040 depends on resolving some huge questions, such as what technology — conventional […]
SEATTLE — The address for the website of the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad tourist excursion service in southwestern Washington is “steamtrainride.com.” Unfortunately for the Chehalis-Centralia, there’s no steam locomotive at the moment to pull its trains. The Chehalis-Centralia had been relying on a 1916 Baldwin 2-8-2 Mikado. “Our engine was getting ready for annual inspection and testing […]
