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
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.
Political fights over new terminals dedicated to coal were the first to crop up. But as people have had the chance to see the mile-plus-long trains click-clacking by, cars uncovered so that coal dust can blow off along the whole route, opposition to the whole prospect has stiffened. Continue reading Coal’s Long Black Trains Are A-Comin’ on Downtown, Seattle
Crosscut alerts you the impending eviction of Greyhound from its Stewart Street location downtown. After 83 years in that spot, redevelopment has caught up with them, and they need to find a new station by April of 2013. Previously, planners had wanted to add Greyhound into the King Street Station’s multimodal mix, so you could catch an Amtrak, Sounder, or light rail train; a Metro bus or city streetcar; or a Greyhound. Continue reading Will King Street Station Adopt a Greyhound? (Plus, Seattle’s Jumbo Ferry Passenger Problem)
