TACOMA, Wash. - The Transportation Department is preparing an environmental assessment of a project to improve a rail line through the Tacoma area for Amtrak and Sounder passenger trains.
The $92 million project would rebuild 11 miles of track and add three new miles so that passenger trains that now share the freight route around Point Defiance would use a line closer to Interstate 5.
Right now, the railroad mainline that connects Seattle, Tacoma and Portland, heads west to Ruston, goes through a series of tunnels and heads south along Puget Sound, eventually crossing over I-5 and passing the south side of Ft. Lewis above Nisqually. But, there is another way, you can see it along I-5 as you drive through Ft. Lewis and Lakewood; There's a rough looking single stretch of track that has played second fiddle to the mainline for many decades.
The mainline, owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, is a busy stretch of railroad but it can be troublesome for passenger trains. In the winter, it can end up closed by mudslides and because of rules designed to protect passenger trains that has a much greater impact on Amtrak than it does on freights. By federal law, Burlington Northern must hold passenger train traffic after a slide for 48-hours to make sure the tracks and slopes have stabilized.
Sound Transit is already working to turn part of the route from Tacoma to Lakewood into a commuter rail line, with an eye on extending the line to DuPont, dependent on future funding. The problem is the stretch of track is in such poor condition that the top train speed is about five miles and hour. It would need to be improved to hand speeds of at least 79miles per hour, which is Amtrak's upper limit.
The goal is more reliable Amtrak service between Portland and Seattle. There are four daily round-trip trains between the cities. The department's Ron Pate says planners want to add two more.
Currently, trips are scheduled to take three-and-a-half hours, but only 60 percent of the trains arrive on time.
The state is hoping to use part of its $591 million in high speed rail stimulus money from the Obama administration to soup up that bypass, and turn it into part of what they hope will become a high speed passenger train corridor.
WSDOT is inviting people to learn more about the project at an Open house tonight, Monday night from 4 to 7 pm at the Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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