It’s hard to imagine a more fitting destination for the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train than historic downtown Snohomish.
Imagine boarding one of the vintage rail cars after a little wine tasting in Woodinville, enjoying a first-class meal as mountain vistas and farmland pass by, then taking in an hour of riverfront shopping along First Street in Snohomish before returning to the train for dessert and the 14-mile ride back to your car.
What a way to show beautiful local sights to out-of-town guests, enjoy a romantic evening out, or just treat yourself to something special.
It could be possible as early as next summer. The popular train’s current route from Renton to Woodinville, which has been running since 1992, is being shut down by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. So the train’s owner, Eric Temple, is looking for a new one. Temple has contacted Snohomish officials about the idea, and initial reaction has been positive, as it should be.
After all, the train will bring thousands of tourists to town every year, folks who will feed the local economy and spread the word about how cool downtown Snohomish really is, bringing even more potential customers to town.
This opportunity comes on the heels of last week’s announcement by King County and the Port of Seattle of a bold “concept” in which the port would buy the 47-mile rail corridor between Renton and Snohomish from BNSF, and give it to King County in exchange for Boeing Field, the south Seattle airport owned by the county. The port would also pay to develop the portion of the rail corridor that’s in King County as a recreational trail.
That would leave the Woodinville-to-Snohomish route available for the dinner train. That stretch is wide enough to accommodate railroad tracks and a trail, which could eventually connect Snohomish County’s popular Centennial Trail with trails in King County.
All that’s needed, essentially, is BNSF’s willingness to let the dinner train use the tracks. An OK from King County to BNSF would be helpful in that regard, because the railway isn’t likely to take any action that could jeopardize the rail-for-airport deal.
King County already has expressed openness to moving the train north. If King County Executive Ron Sims made such support clear to the railway, the train could be heading for Snohomish less than a year from now.
And the city should be ready with a red carpet.
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