$16 million coming to head off mudslides that blocked rails between Everett, Seattle

OLYMPIA — Help is on the way from the federal government for projects to prevent winter mudslides, which last year forced an unusually high number of cancellations of Sounder and Amtrak train trips — many of them between Everett and Seattle.

The money is probably not coming in time for any major work this winter, though.

The federal government will stack an extra $16 million on top of the $751 million it’s already sent to the state for rail improvements, said Ron Pate, who manages rail improvements for the state Department of Transportation.

Retaining walls, ditches and drainage projects are some of the measures that could be taken, said Gus Melonas, spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, which owns most of the tracks.

The larger projects will require more engineering and environmental review, Pate said.

“I wouldn’t think we’d get the physical work done this winter,” he said.

The area between Everett and Seattle is one of the worst stretches in the state for mudslides, officials say.

On much of the route, the tracks are wedged between steep bluffs on one side and the water on the other.

Sections in Everett, Edmonds and Woodway have been especially prone to slides.

When improvements are made, this stretch would be a prime candidate for a good share of the money, Pate said.

“Where the major problems are is probably where we’d focus our energy first, for sure,” he said.

Melonas said the railroad has already undertaken some smaller measures on its own, such as ditches and drainage.

Pate said it’s possible some of the federal money could go toward helping the railroad on more of those projects.

Last winter’s frequent rains were especially hard on rail lines throughout the state, especially north of Seattle.

Sound Transit canceled 78 of its commuter trips between Everett and Seattle — compared to an average of 20 over the previous five years, spokeswoman Kimberly Reason said.

Trains run between Everett and Seattle eight times a day on weekdays, with four trips south in the morning and four return trips in the afternoon. Occasional weekend trips are set up for sporting events.

For safety reasons, BNSF, which cleans up after the slides, bars passenger trains for 48 hours after a slide before resuming service. Rules are not as strict for freight trains.

In December 2010 alone, 16 mudslides kept 90 Amtrak trains from reaching their destination, said Vickie Sheehan, a spokeswoman for the transportation department.

Of those trips, 78 were between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

The slides affected freight trains as well, Melonas said. He said in his 36 years in the railroad business he’s never seen a year with so many disruptions.

“There was no year that measured up to what we experienced last year,” he said.

When the state first inquired with the federal government last winter about getting some money for mudslide prevention, it was turned down.

More money became available, though, after the governors of Wisconsin and Ohio refused a combined $1.2 billion in rail-improvement money offered by the Obama administration, said Ron Kulat, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration.

The rail agency redistributed the money to several other states, including Washington.

Plus, said Pate, “I believe (the railroad administration) really recognized that this is part of reliability for the corridor.”

The state has six years, until Sept. 30, 2017, to spend the money.

Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, who also serves on the Sound Transit board of directors, welcomed the news that work could be done to prevent mudslides.

“I think that’s a very good idea,” he said.

It might also bring some peace of mind to people who live above the bluffs as well, Marine said.

But with the rainy season just weeks away, residents and commuters face at least one more winter of potential problems.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.