More Wednesday morning rail news:
— It would take more than $700 million to restore the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway line on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to operating condition suitable for a proposed commuter rail service, and another $600 million to launch such a service, according to a government report issued Tuesday. The Vancouver Island Free Daily reports that the government study outlined a three-phase process for restoring the route. The first, to make the line suitable for two to four passenger trains and two to four freight trains per day, would cost $326 million; the second, allowing four to eight passenger trains and four freight trains daily, would raise the cost to $552 million; and the third, to improve the right-of-way to optimal levels for commuter service, would bring the total cost to $729 million. The actual cost of implementing commuter service to Victoria, B.C., would be another $595 million. [See “Mayors urge funding to restore Vancouver Island rail service,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 8, 2019.]
— Canadian National has paid $1.25 million to settle damages caused by a 2016 wildfire in northeastern Minnesota, the Associated Press reports. The Skibo Fire in St. Louis County burned nearly 1,000 acres, including 387 acres in Superior National Forest. Federal prosecutors alleged the May 2016 fire was ignited by a locomotive with a mechanical failure. CN and subsidiary Wisconsin Central paid the $1.25 million to the U.S. Forest Service, helping offset more than $1.5 million to fight the fire. The settlement came before the government had filed suit and there was no determination of liability.
Sound Transit will rein in expansion plans in light of the financial realities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and won’t advance any more projects to final design or construction until it overhauls its capital plan. The Puget Sound Business Journal, in a paywalled article, reports the transit agency will reassess its plans with the understanding that tax revenue, a major part of its funding, is likely to decrease dramatically because of the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 virus.
