Notes from the 2013 Northwest Spring Rail Conference

[CHamilton]

Also working with Amtrak to reverse the recent change to require onboard upgrades to be sold at the high-bucket price.

I thought that the recent change was "current bucket", not "high bucket".

Either way, I think that there are probably more important windmills to tilt at.

Great report Charlie, and thanks for sharing.

He did say high bucket, but I don't know whether he meant highest bucket.

I was rather disappointed by the NARP presentation. I'm not sure whether it was Stewart's presentation, which was less than stellar, or whether NARP is really making some poor decisions about priorities. I know some NARP board members, and will have to ask them what's really going on.

 

[CHamilton]

The promised press release from WSDOT on FRA approval of the Point Defiance Bypass.

Amtrak Cascades one step closer to faster, more frequent service


Date: Monday, March 04, 2013

Contact: Melanie Coon, WSDOT Rail Communications, 360-705-7905 (Olympia)
David Smelser, Cascades High Speed Rail Program Manager, 360-705-6916 (Olympia)

OLYMPIA – Amtrak Cascades riders can now look forward to shorter trip times and more reliable schedules between Seattle and Portland following federal approval of WSDOT’s proposal to reroute the passenger train service to a less congested route.

After reviewing WSDOT’s Environmental Assessment and comments from local municipalities and the public, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) determined the $89 million Point Defiance Bypass project would not result in significant adverse impacts to the environment.

With this approval, WSDOT’s project team will advance design work to reroute passenger trains from the BNSF Railway main line near Point Defiance to an existing, and less congested, rail line that travels through south Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont. WSDOT expects construction to begin in 2015 and open the new route to service in 2017.

“This is an important step in alleviating rail congestion and reducing travel time for passenger rail service between Seattle and Portland,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “Incremental successes, like this one, are critical to helping states and regions achieve their long-term vision for higher performing passenger rail service.”

The current route used by Amtrak Cascades is congested, carrying nearly 50 freight and passenger trains a day. The proposed inland route is shorter and will allow Amtrak Cascades to reduce travel times by avoiding rail congestion and delays. The bypass route also allows Amtrak Cascades to expand the service and add two more daily trains between Seattle and Portland.

The new bypass route is located along an existing 18-mile lightly used freight corridor owned by Sound Transit. Part of the bypass route is the same route that Sound Transit uses for Sounder commuter rail to Lakewood.

“This is a major milestone for not only this project but for customers and our entire passenger rail program,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “This new section of track allows us to add more daily round trips between Seattle and Portland, making rail travel reliable and more convenient for our passengers.”

WSDOT evaluated two possible scenarios in the Environmental Assessment. The first scenario included rerouting passenger trains with improvements to the Point Defiance Bypass route. The second scenario was a no-build alternative and included only routine maintenance and repairs on the Point Defiance route owned by BNSF Railway.

Throughout the three-year process, WSDOT conducted extensive outreach within communities along the route, hosting open houses, briefing elected officials and attending community meetings and special events to gather feedback and listen to concerns. These comments were included in final documentation provided to FRA.

Washington state has received nearly $800 million in federal rail grants, part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act high-speed-rail program administered by the FRA. The Point Defiance Bypass project is one of nearly 20 rail-improvement projects that will generate hundreds of jobs and improve Amtrak Cascades service between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C.

For more information about the Point Defiance Bypass project, visit the project website. For more information about Amtrak Cascades service, visit http://www.amtrakcascades.com/.

 

[NorthCoastHiawatha]

I haven't seen such a map, but I know that the traffic to/from Williston goes both east and west. MSP-CHI could easily fill another train, and both Amtrak and the state are still interested in a daylight SEA-SPK train, since although traffic to/from those points isn't great right now, it would be with better scheduling.

I would hope that a SEA-SPK would be routed over Stampede, so you could have stops in Ellensburg, Yakima, Toppenish, Pasco, Cheney (college town), and Spokane

 

[JayPea]

I haven't seen such a map, but I know that the traffic to/from Williston goes both east and west. MSP-CHI could easily fill another train, and both Amtrak and the state are still interested in a daylight SEA-SPK train, since although traffic to/from those points isn't great right now, it would be with better scheduling.

I would hope that a SEA-SPK would be routed over Stampede, so you could have stops in Ellensburg, Yakima, Toppenish, Pasco, Cheney (college town), and Spokane

That would be great if they would do just that! The former EB route over Stampede Pass also included a stop in Auburn, and I assume any potential routing over Stampede Pass would include Auburn.

 

[CHamilton]

I would hope that a SEA-SPK would be routed over Stampede, so you could have stops in Ellensburg, Yakima, Toppenish, Pasco, Cheney (college town), and Spokane

I know that the state has expressed interest in that route in the past. It will be interesting to see what gets included in the state rail plan, which is currently in the works.

 

[Anderson]

Honestly, even if the equipment for the Sunset East is "available", I'm very much not convinced it's necessarily the best use of the cars. Frankly, CHI-DEN cutoff cars would probably be a better use of the equipment, as would adding capacity to the Chief, Builder, or potentially the Cap or Eagle.

With all of that said...well, it's a priority for a Superliner III order IMHO, just not before then.

 

[CHamilton]

Links to slides from this meeting's presentations have been posted on the All Aboard Washington website.

 

[Guest]

The items which were new to me from this meeting are that Amtrak plans to create Metropolitan Lounges in Seattle and LA.

Good. There's certainly room in both stations and they could both use them.

 

[CHamilton]

As mentioned in the original notes.

Amtrak may add Culbertson stop

Amtrak will study the feasibility of adding a passenger train stop in Culbertson to enhance transportation options for workers in the Bakken oil fields.

Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus requested the study because many workers face difficulty in getting from one side of Montana to the other.
Culbertson is 37 miles north of Sidney and lies about midway between other Amtrak stops in Wolf Point and Williston, N.D.
...
“With the flood of new workers, the demand to construct new infrastructure and to improve existing infrastructure is constantly increasing,” Tester and Baucus wrote in the request to Amtrak. “The Empire Builder plays a critical role in fulfilling the growing transportation infrastructure needs of the Bakken region, and as the region continues to grow, it is important to look for smart ways to increase the Empire Builder’s capabilities.”