Agency weighs buying rail line

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, December 4, 2003

A century ago, three passenger trains a day whisked workers back and forth between the then-bustling pioneer towns of Snohomish and Seattle, making for one of the region’s first major commutes.

Now, with the start of Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail service to Everett and western Snohomish County possibly only days away, part of that historical north-south train route could be saved, opening the door for it to one day again be used as a commuter route.

"If we’re looking at the opportunity to move thousands of people per day, it’s something we should look at," said Bob Drewel, the incoming executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council and outgoing Snohomish County executive.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has said the little-used 40-mile track from Snohomish to Renton is for sale, and the railway is willing to sell the corridor in one piece for future commuter use if a buyer can be found.

The Puget Sound Regional Council decided on Thursday to spend the next six months studying whether the region should buy the rail line, which tentatively has been priced at $300 million.

The council directed staff to return in January with a plan outlining who they would recommend to sit on a study committee and what the panel should look at.

If buying the line gets the thumbs-up and regional leaders can find a way to come up with the money, the likely plan would be to use the route as a recreational trail until commuter rail is needed, said King Cushman, the council’s regional strategy adviser. At that point, it could be used for both purposes, he said.

Cushman said a decision would have to be made whether to maintain the tracks or rip them out until the corridor is needed for commuter rail. A decision also would have to be made on what kind of commuter rail to use, whether it’s a monorail, an extension of Sound Transit’s light rail system or something else.

While acknowledging that finding the money to buy something for the future would be difficult, all those interviewed said securing the land now could save billions of dollars in the future if a mass transit corridor is needed.

"It seems like a shame to just let the last intact transportation corridor in the region go," said Stephen Anderson, the state Transportation Department’s rail service manager.

He said transportation planners across the country routinely tell stories of passing up such opportunities, then having to pay for it later when they have to create a transportation corridor from scratch.

If it isn’t purchased and saved for the future, Burlington Northern Santa Fe will start selling the most valuable pieces of property, effectively killing the opportunity to save the route.

"It’s real estate, and it’s valuable," Cushman said.

For its part, the railway only confirmed that it is interested in parting with the underperforming property.

"BNSF is always studying the status of various lines of low profitability systemwide," said railway spokesman Gus Melonas. "One area under current review is the Woodinville line. We’re look at alternatives for this line."

Currently, Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s use of the line for moving freight is minimal. The route’s most notable use is by the Spirit of Washington dinner train, a popular activity on King County’s Eastside.

Anderson, with the Transportation Department, said the route is particularly appealing to transportation planners because it has only two major bridges on the 40-mile route, which could help keep costs down if some form of commuter line were developed.

The city of Snohomish and southeastern Snohomish County in general would benefit greatly from a mass transit corridor that takes residents directly to the Eastside, Drewel said.

He said both sides of the Snohomish County-King County line in the Snohomish-Woodinville area are expected to continue to experience strong growth, and that they already have grown so much that they have major traffic congestion problems.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.