SNOHOMISH — A tourist train that downtown store owners hope will provide a boost for business has been delayed until at least next year.
The train originally was expected to begin rumbling between the wineries of Woodinville and the quaint shops of First Street by this summer.
Instead, GNP Railway officials bumped back its arrival time to July 1, 2011.
“You make your very best guess and estimate when you start things, and if you have to revise, you have to revise,” railway operator Tom Payne said on Thursday. “I’m not fussed about it one way or the other.”
Payne called the new timetable reasonable, barring any new obstacles. The company this week began safety inspections on eight bridges outside Snohomish. The results of those won’t be known for weeks.
The company also is waiting to hear about a $23 million federal loan, a key chunk of financing. The final price tag is unknown.
“I don’t know what to think,” said Debbie Carlson-Gould, manager for Historic Downtown Snohomish, a business association. “Obviously we’re further along now than we ever have been.”
The plan has delayed a few other times since it first was proposed more than two years ago. The biggest took more than a year as the Port of Seattle bought the right-of-way on tracks from Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
The $81 million deal wrapped up in December. Then the port granted a year-long extension, giving GNP time to clear its own set of hurdles.
The latest delay is a mixed blessing for Snohomish city leaders, who have only scratched the surface of a 94-point plan to prepare downtown for what’s been promised as trainloads of visitors.
The new timeline is more realistic, City Manager Larry Bauman said. Although he is concerned about the company’s financing, he said he believes the train will arrive by next year.
Some on First Street took news of the delay in stride.
Faded Elegance antique store owner Kimberly McIlrath said she isn’t counting on the train. She’s already seeing signs of economic recovery.
“It can only help,” she said of the train. “But if it’s delayed longer, it’s not going to affect our business.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com
> Give us your news tips. > Send us a letter to the editor. > More Herald contact information.Talk to us
