A conversation with Seattle
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
I would argue that the most significant factor in maintaining ridership, and building it through good word-of-mouth, is the elimination of canceled trains due to mudslides. It seems miraculous that there are 1,000 people so dogged they won’t let 30 canceled trains in January 2006 (and 44 in March 2011!) keep them from showing up at the station at 5:45 a.m. on a winter morning. Continue reading How Do Mudslides Affect Sounder North’s Low Ridership?
“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
One beneficiary of this unexpected aridity is the Amtrak Cascades line, which is routinely plagued by mudslides when we get steady rain. This spring and November’s on-time percentages suffered because of rainfall-driven slides, but December’s fair weather has Amtrak Cascades on track to surpass its target of 828,000 (2010 ridership totaled 840,000 passengers, up seven percent from 2009–or 850,000, up ten percent, depending upon whose figures you believe). Continue reading Dry December May Boost Amtrak Cascades Ridership
By 2017, Amtrak Cascades should be making six round trips between Seattle and Portland per day, up from four trips daily now. That’s possible in part because of an extra $15 million the federal government is disbursing for a Port of Vancouver project–from a pot of high-speed rail money that Florida refused.
“The $15 million, along with $18.3 million in matching funds from the Port of Vancouver,” reports The Columbian, “will pay for a separate track for freight rail cars carrying shipments into and out of the port.” Continue reading Amtrak Plans for More Seattle-to-Portland Trips