Price: $103 million. Finally, a deal on the table that makes both advocates and critics happy. The purchase price is an eye-opener; In 2005 BNSF purchased nearly 400 miles of track from the State of South Dakota for a mere $41 million. By contrast, the Woodinville Subdivision is 42 miles long, with an eight-mile spur from Woodinville to Redmond. The value gives us on the outside an indicator of just how important this right-of-way is to the railroad, to the public, and to developers of all kinds. There's a land demand, most certainly. And selling the line to the Port means the chance of keeping rail activity in East King County is pretty good.
Not so, say some critics. Part of the plan is the tear up the existing tracks south of Bellevue and north of Renton, which would probably mean huge legal fights when it's time to put tracks back down in the future. A third private party is also trying to buy the line, for more than the Port is paying, which makes this sale even more melodramatic. In 2006 I hosted a site that outlined my concern over losing the line, in the hopes of raising awareness and keeping the tracks in place. In the end I was happy to pass the torch to groups that included heavier hitters in business and advocacy. I'm just a guy who believes in railroading as a vital industry and a traditional American icon.
It's hard to weigh out the uncertainty in this struggle. 100 years ago nobody would have ever figured this little line would cause so much havoc; rail service somewhere was an assumed resource. I'm happy to see a plan on the table that keeps at least some track in the ground; sure it would be nice to have a seamless rail corridor from Renton to Snohomish, on which passenger trains could help people cut their commute frustration. But I've resigned myself to at least catching some freight traffic in Woodinville and hoping for some excursion traffic as well.
Time will tell, and WARail will be here.
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