A conversation with Seattle
Anticipating increased demand while the bridge is being repaired — a temporary replacement may come sometime in June, while a better fix could take until September — the state has talked Amtrak into adding a roundtrip train daily between Seattle and Bellingham. Continue reading Amtrak’s Extra Train to Bellingham Leaves Seattle at 8:15 AM
I happened to take an Amtrak train from Seattle last Thursday, the day after King Street Station’s new waiting hall opened, so I wanted to talk more specifically about the impact the renovation has on the traveler. The old room (you could not call it a hall) always felt somehow dingy, with its low ceilings and darkness, whereas the new hall will feel clean, barring negligence. Continue reading A Traveler’s Take on King Street Train Station’s New Look
The morning of Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Amtrak passengers leaving from Seattle’s King Street Station will no longer have to queue up in the corridors. That’s the day the Waiting Room officially reopens, part of a $55 million restoration project that stripped away a series of ill-considered changes to the original decor. Continue reading King Street Station Waiting Room Reopens this Week
BNSF Railway Spokesperson Gus Melonas has blamed the mudslide epidemic on “extremely rainy conditions” — but, Mass says, not so fast with that “extremely”: “If we go back 6 months, the region around Everett stands out more, reaching 130-150 percent of normal [precipitation]. Yes, a bit wet, but I suspect we could find other periods to equal it.” Continue reading Trying to Reason With Mudslide Season
That’s what the two most successful Amtrak routes have in common: They travel on NEC track that Amtrak owns and maintains, currently the only high-speed passenger rail track in the U.S. That’s important because it upends the notion that a trip length of 400 miles is the primary limiting factor. The tracks, and who owns them, are, because that determines both maximum mph ratings and real-world reliability. Continue reading What if Amtrak Cascades Made Money? Lots of Money.
Because Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities to visit you can imagine, my first question was whether I could bring a bike along. This led to a helpful tutorial on BoltBus baggage policy: “You are allowed one piece of baggage under the coach and two small bags to carry on (purse or backpack).” In theory, your bicycle is the under-the-coach item: “We do allow them and consider them to be oversize items as long as space is available in the baggage area.” Continue reading Yes, New Seattle-to-Portland BoltBus Service Will Take Bikes
“Around here there is typically a 10 to 1 ratio of snow versus precipitation in the form of liquid water,” says University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass, which explains why, when Seattle sidewalks are becoming impassable floodplains, Snoqualmie and Stevens passes are reporting over three feet of snowfall over the past three days. Crystal Mountain saw 46 inches. But wait, there’s more. Much more. Continue reading March Storms Bring Record Snowfall for Seattle Area Skiers