Northwest

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Sunday, August 30, 2009 $1 billion in federal stimulus money sought for state rail projects Everett is among the places that would benefit Associated Press TACOMA — Washington state is applying for $1 billion in federal stimulus money to pay for high-speed rail projects. The state Department of Transportation applied earlier this week for $435 million to pay for 20 rail projects along the “high-speed” corridor between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C. State officials say the projects will add additional daily Amtrak passenger trains between Seattle and Portland, as well as reduce rail congestion and improve on-time reliability. The project list includes upgrades to tracks and facilities in Blaine, Everett, Seattle, Kalama and Vancouver, Wash. By October, the state plans to apply for another batch of federal money for rail projects, boosting Washington's total request to $1 billion. Andrew Wood, deputy director of DOT's Rail and Marine Division, said the state has a good chance of getting money for several projects. “We're a long-established corridor and our long-range plans have been out there for a long time,” Wood told the News Tribune of Tacoma. “A lot of our competitors have only just started getting their plans together.” The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed in February provides $8 billion for high-speed rail corridors. Wood said the state should know by October which of Washington's projects would get federal money. All of the projects on the state's $435 million list would be ready to go to construction within 90 days of getting money. He said the total list of projects would create between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs. Two projects would speed up Amtrak passenger trains by letting them bypass the scenic but congested route around Tacoma's Point Defiance. A more direct route for passenger trains would shave six minutes off the travel time for Amtrak Cascades trains between Seattle and Portland. In Vancouver, the state wants to construct new railroad tracks for freight trains to prevent delays for passenger trains. In Blaine, the state is seeking money to provide new siding track to allow freight trains awaiting customs inspections to move out of the way of oncoming passenger trains. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. City of Everett, neighbor sued over lost trees, mudslide 2. Three-car accident closes Highway 9 3. Kennedy’s assassination remains a puzzling memory 4. Ways to Give: How you can help in your community 5. Take a look under your seat 6. Novice real estate investors can lose their shirts 7. Kwan never golden, but sometimes transcendant 8. Lotto ticket worth $6.5 million sold in Lake Stevens 9. Canceled credit cards come as a shock for some 10. Count drags on long after the election's over 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Eat local this Thanksgiving • Mavericks moving on • Canada's Great Big Sea rolls into Edmonds • A. Murphy finishes 2nd in volleyball • Art Walk features music, demonstrations • EAT LOCAL: Getting the goods • Lynnwood HS history teacher Vic Bennet dies • Wildcats head to semis • CSO Chamber annual show slated Nov. 23 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million