Much progress has been made on BNSF’s second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho. Rolling through on the existing 4,769-foot bridge (completed by Northern Pacific in 1904) on Sept. 5th is train H-BARPAS, a Barstow, Calif., to Pasco, Wash., manifest that detoured via Denver due to wildfire damage on BNSF’s route in northern California. Most of the steel piers and concrete pier caps are in place for the new bridge, as well as the first sections of bridge decking. The bridge project was approved by the Coast Guard in 2019 despite opposition by some residents over environmental concerns [see “BNSF bridge project in Idaho gets favorable Coast Guard ruling,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 6, 2019]. — Bruce Kelly
@Gregory Gehin: Unfortunately, per Wall Street, railroads don’t exist to create better service, only to create more profits. Therefore most of the earnings goes to stock buybacks and dividends, not streamlining the service.
BNSF was wise to go private during this madness out of Wall Street. They can reinvest earnings as they see fit.
All major rail routes should be improved for fluid movement. Especially in the mega cities where trains crawl alongside 70 mph highways. I would think the rail infrastructure plan would work to address this. A modern version of what happened in the 1800s when rail routes were forming. Or A rail version of the 1950s interstate highway act. A one time gift to the railroads to help with widespread modernizing. Except hopefully no cheating with the funds by any rail barons if there is still such a character.
Hey, Charles,
I used to play Train Dispatcher and on the Spokane-Sandpoint territory this bridge was a huge bottleneck, so I know that in the real world they needed this second bridge. Just keeping trains from idling in sidings would be enough reason for me from an environmental standpoint.
The Most Unholy Trinity of Greens, NIMBYs, and just plain morons.
Yep, have to agree on that thought. Still perplexes me that people don’t understand that idling trains which was of the result of having a bottleneck is actually producing more diesel particulates into the air not less. Reminds me, but can’t of the place in WA along the Columbia River route where the combo prevented UP from building/extending a much needed siding outside of the city & therefore introduce much more fluid movements instead of trains stacking up on each other in town and idling.