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Port of Seattle Acquires Rail Corridor from BNSF for $81 million
King County, Sound Transit, other partners will contribute to purchase
Signing the agreement from left to right are Stephen Reynolds, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; Kurt Triplett, King County Executive; Tay Yoshitani, CEO, Port of Seattle; and Joni Earl, CEO, Sound Transit
Options include preserving the corridor for passenger rail, bicycling, walking and recreational uses.
Listen to Eastside Rail Corridor public meetings here.
Why is a short-line operator being chosen?
What is the selection process?
What about the excursion or dinner train?
Will the operator provide commuter rail service?
Why is a short-line operator being chosen?
The Eastside Rail Corridor has two portions: the northern portion, between Snohomish and Woodinville, and the southern portion, which stretches from Woodinville to Renton and includes the Redmond spur. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, BNSF agreed to select a third-party operator to maintain the operation. The operator will pay the Port of Seattle for the rights to utilize the land and will provide freight rail service for shippers in Snohomish County.
What is the selection process?
As part of the acquisition process, BNSF issued a request for proposals earlier this year. BN hosted a bidder’s conference, with attendees from area shippers, the Port, the City of Snohomish, and Snohomish County. BNSF invited 19 organizations to bid; six companies attended the conference and expressed interest in operating the service. Although two bids were received, one was not responsive to the terms of the RFP.
After consulting with the Port, BNSF chose GNP/Ballard, a partnership between Byron Cole of Ballard Terminal Railroad and Tom Payne of GNP Railway. The Port will begin negotiations with GNP/Ballard shortly.
What about the excursion or dinner train?
According to the terms of the RFP, any operator applying for a license to run freight service may also operate an excursion train. Initially, the train could run between Snohomish and the wineries (Woodinville area). The Port also asked for proposals for an excursion train that, depending on the outcome of the public process, could eventually travel between Snohomish and farther south than the wineries.
Will the operator provide commuter rail service?
No. Commuter rail is not included in this proposal. King County citizens will have the opportunity to provide feedback on all uses, including commuter rail, during the upcoming public process. In addition, the Puget Sound Regional Council and Sound Transit are conducting a feasibility study for commuter rail service to the Eastside.
The Sound Transit package on the November ballot contains $50 million partnership contribution toward development of commuter rail for the Eastside; the Port expects that one or more parties will come forward with proposals depending on the results of the PSRC/Sound Transit study.
Any agreements for operation of freight rail will require that future commuter rail be accommodated.
What is the Eastside Rail Corridor?
Why is BNSF selling the rail line?
Why does the Port want to secure the corridor in public hands?
What are the current uses of the corridor?
1) What is the Eastside Rail Corridor?
The Eastside Rail Corridor consists of a 42 mile rail corridor stretching from the city of Renton to the city of Snohomish, with an eight mile rail spur running between the cities of Woodinville and Redmond. The rail corridor passes through the cities of Newcastle, Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, Maltby, Snohomish and Redmond.
2) Why is BNSF selling the rail line?
BNSF, driven by increasing maintenance costs and declining freight use and revenues, has planned to divest the rail corridor since 2003. The rail line is not economically viable for BNSF to continue to operate it.
3) Why does the Port want to secure the corridor in public hands?
The Port’s primary mission is to create economic vitality in the region. This once-in-a-lifetime investment preserves a valuable transportation asset for the region, maintains current freight rail service, and secures the corridor for potential future freight rail use supporting the region’s economy.
The Port is also interested in optimizing the use of this corridor for other transportation modes compatible with freight rail.
Without the Port’s involvement to secure the corridor, the corridor could have been sold piecemeal to private owners and lost to public use forever.
4) What are the current uses of the corridor?
Parts of the corridor were used in the last century for mining and in transporting timber. In recent years, annual freight car loads on the line have declined dramatically to approximately 900 freight car loads per year. In comparison, Seattle’s main line handles 500,000 freight car loads annually. In February, 2008 BNSF ran its last trains to the Boeing plant in Renton before removing one mile of track around the Wilburton Tunnel in South Bellevue, as part of WSDOT’s widening of I-405. The widening project is expected to be complete in late 2009.
Freight uses between Bellevue and Woodinville were phased out in November 2008.
Currently, the northern portion, located between Woodinville and the city of Snohomish, is used as a freight corridor. The Puget Sound region is highly dependent on the efficient movement of freight, and this agreement ensures that freight rail use along the northern section will continue. The Port will contract with a third-party short-line operator to continue service on the northern portion of the line; that operator is not yet selected by the BNSF.
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