Snohomish to Bellevue Commuter Trains?

If successful, this would be a big deal! An excellent idea for the region, and for using existing infrastructure.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080403/NEWS01/537823232

County Council agrees to pursue commuter train between Snohomish and Bellevue

By Jeff Switzer, Herald Writer

A private company's proposal to run commuter trains from Snohomish to Bellevue won more leverage Wednesday.

The Snohomish County Council voted 4-0 to approve further analysis of a proposed commuter train system. The council agreed to authorize County Executive Aaron Reardon to negotiate agreements with the company, GNP Railway.

"I think this is an important step to indicate our interest in this and I think it has great potential," County Council chairman Dave Somers said. "This at least keeps this alive and lets other folks know that we're definitely, seriously interested in having this option explored."
The move allows the county and railway company possibly to team up and gain clout with federal railway regulators.

The proposal now goes to Reardon's office for talks and review.
"It's an intriguing concept but there's a lot of work we need to do to fully vet the proposal and understand it," said Peter Camp, an executive director who advises Reardon on land-use issues.
"If we can come up with an agreement, it will come back to the council."
He said he'll be evaluating any financial risks to the county and risks from having commuter trains sharing the rails with freight haulers.

The idea for commuter train service comes from Tom Payne, a former owner and founder of Canada's third largest railway system. He said he spent months analyzing the costs of railway upgrades and operations from Snohomish to Bellevue and wants his new company, GNP Railway, to have permission to run trains.

There's an opportunity to use the route because the Port of Seattle is close to buying the tracks for $103 million from Texas-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The tracks run 42 miles from Snohomish to Renton.

If a deal is reached in coming weeks, the Port of Seattle plans to decide how the route is used. Federal regulators have a say, too.

Payne's idea is to run six trains in the morning to Bellevue and six back to Snohomish in the afternoon. It would cost an estimated $80 million for stations, trains and track repairs, Payne said.

Port of Seattle officials called Somers on Wednesday to talk about Snohomish County's involvement in the future use of the route, Somers said.

The Port of Seattle proposes keeping freight trains running from Woodinville to Snohomish and suspending operations south of Woodinville. King County wants to build a hiking and biking trail along the route through cities on the east side of Lake Washington.

Snohomish County wants to work directly with the Port of Seattle and not leave talks to other forums, Somers said he told port officials.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.