Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, April 20, 2008

Private operator's plan for rail looks promising

 The dream of trains carrying commuters between Snohomish and Bellevue is picking up steam. Besides easing the daily slog of getting to work and back along Highway 9 and I-405, one proposal could also show how a transportation project can be done relatively quickly and cost-effectively.

A private company, GNP Railway, has been talking with Snohomish County officials about its proposal to run commuter trains along the corridor, which the Port of Seattle is in the process of buying from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The company's chairman, Tom Payne, founder of Canada's third-largest railroad company, says he has worked with area employers, including Microsoft, to show ridership demand is sufficient for the project to succeed.

GNP has put together what appears to be a solid business plan that includes paying for upgrading the existing tracks; constructing bare-bones passenger stations in Snohomish, Maltby, Woodinville, Kirkland and Bellevue; building a paved pedestrian/bike trail alongside, and running six trains south in the morning and six more north in the afternoon. Payne says he could have trains, with used locomotives pulling double-decker passenger cars, running as soon as next year. Acting alone, the public sector can only dream about moving that quickly.

Speaking of quick, the ride from Snohomish to Bellevue would take just 32 minutes. Try doing that in your car during rush hour.

GNP's income would come from fares, which Payne predicts would be partly subsidized by employers desperate to get their employers to work. Potentially, Snohomish County could provide land for parking near stations within its borders.

And Payne says he'd be happy to see tourism trains on the line, including the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, which could operate between Woodinville and Snohomish.

If Snohomish County gets on board with GNP, Payne hopes it will carry weight with federal regulators, the Port of Seattle and King County, which recently backed away from efforts to have the tracks torn out and replaced by a wider pedestrian trail.

Such a partnership, which would have to shield Snohomish County from financial risk, also gives the county a voice in what happens to the corridor. But it must come together quickly. A plan must be ready to submit to the federal Surface Transportation Board soon after the port buys the corridor, which is expected to be in May.

Payne's company has the experience and knowledge it needs to make this work, and the legwork it has done to date is impressive. Snohomish County should proceed deliberately and diligently, but without delay. This may be an opportunity too good to miss.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA