Here’s a quick clip of a Union Pacific mixed freight train crossing the Powder River in Natrona County, Wyo. Video submitted by Brian Olson. […]
Union Pacific freight train crossing Powder River
Zone & Region: Pacific Northwest
Court: Washington coroner not entitled to BNSF cab video NEWSWIRE
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that the Pierce County, Wash., medical examiner isn’t entitled to a copy of a video recording made and held by BNSF Railway of a 2017 fatality in which a man standing on tracks was struck and killed. The ruling, filed Jan. 31, stems from a […]
Oregon legislator launches effort to extend Portland-area commuter rail line to state capital NEWSWIRE
A Wilsonville-bound Westside Express Service train passes through Tigard, Ore., in June 2018. An Oregon legislator wants the service extended to the state capital, Salem. TRAINS: David Lassen PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon legislator is making a fourth attempt to generate interest in a plan to extend Portland’s lone commuter-rail line to Salem, Ore. The […]
Washington state seeks shortline operator proposals NEWSWIRE
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Department of Transportation has issued a request for proposals for an operator of a 90-mile branch of a state-owned short line in eastern Washington. The Palouse & Lewiston branch is one of three sections of what’s collectively known as the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad. The Palouse & Lewistown […]
Pacific Northwest officials begin push for ‘ultra’ high speed rail NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — The topic of high-speed rail for the Vancouver, B.C.-Seattle-Portland, Ore., corridor continues to generate interest in the region. Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia are cooperating on a study of routes, stations, equipment, and costs of a high-speed rail system operating at up to 250 miles per hour. Microsoft is also funding the study, […]
Seattle politicians seek to build over-budget streetcar; funding expected NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — The mayor of Seattle says she wants to go ahead with a long-delayed, over-budget, mile-long downtown streetcar line, but there’s still the small matter of finding the additional millions of dollars to pay for it. Mayor Jenny Durkan put the project on hold in March 2018 for a review; the report itself and […]
Coast Guard seeking comments on BNSF bridge proposals in the Pacific Northwest NEWSWIRE
SANDPOINT, Idaho — The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for public comments on how two bridge proposals by BNSF Railway would affect navigation on the Pend Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. Two new bridges would parallel the existing 1905-built Northern Pacific bridges on BNSF’s “Northern Transcon.” One would be 4,874-feet-long. The other would be […]
Washington governor says I-5 bridge project must include light rail NEWSWIRE
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Any replacement for the century-old Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., must include light rail, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said last week. Inslee, speaking at a preview of the 2019 legislative session that beings today, said light rail will be included because Oregon, which will pay for half of […]
FTA finalizes grant for Sound Transit light rail project NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration have finalized an agreement for $1.2 billion in funding for an 8.5-mile extension of its light rail system. The FTA announced the grant on Thursday, after the conclusion of a 30-day congressional review period for the funding agreement announced in November. [See “Sound Transit, FTA reach […]
One year after ‘Cascade’ derailment, route awaits return to service, investigation continues NEWSWIRE
A year after the fatal derailment of Amtrak Cascades train No. 501, service has not yet returned to the Point Defiance Bypass. Steve Carter A northbound Amtrak Cascades train passes the southern end of the Point Defiance Bypass, the track at right, at Nisqually, Wash., in June 2018. A year after the derailment of the […]
Progressive Rail short line taking charge of tracks in Pacific Northwest NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — In a busy year for changes in operators for short lines in the Pacific Northwest, here’s another one. This time it’s a BNSF Railway-owned line in northeastern Washington and southern British Columbia currently operated by OmniTrax subsidiary Kettle Falls International Railway. The new operator, according to Surface Transportation Board filings, will […]
Earthquakes shut down Alaska Railroad NEWSWIRE
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has been shutdown following two earthquakes north of Anchorage on Friday morning. The back-to-back quakes measuring in 7 and 5.8 on the Richter scale shook buildings and damaged roads across the southern part of the state. The Associated Press reports that there were no immediate reports of death or […]
