Passenger Trains > First Amtrak train to use new tracks in Seattle, WA

Today was the first passenger movement over the new BNSF tracks in Seattle. Amtrak #11 departed King Street Station using the Lander Main, Auxillary 1 and Main 2 due to a work window on Main 1. This was only done because they could not depart south over Main 1. However, after June 8, when the new Main 1 is cut over, this will be the way out.

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Wow, thanks for documenting this!

Those new tracks we built looks very nice 8^D

Mark-- I go to Safeco Field all the time. I don't understand ANY of this project or why it is necessary. Even though I have seen your zillion photos I still don't get it and never will.

Last night I was at the TIGERS game and I took a walk along the 1st base side of the stadium, and I see what looks like "differential dump cars" sitting on the old Northbound main, on the curve near Holgate Street. Kind of SAD in a way.
What are the REAL benefits, if any, of this entire project, Sir ?? I'm sure it cost BNSF and SOUNDER more than $ 1.98 !

Thank you.

KRK

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
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> Mark-- I go to Safeco Field all the time. I don't
> understand ANY of this project or why it is
> necessary. Even though I have seen your zillion
> photos I still don't get it and never will.

The Coach Yard and King Street Station are on opposite sides of the two-track mainline. Any passenger train moves between those two points require crossing over the two mainlines. You can't run trains on the mains when passenger trains are making that move; the mainlines are blocked. The new mainlines are on the other side of the Coach Yard now. This will allow passenger train movements between the Coach Yard and KSS to do so without blocking the mainline.

This is being built for the present and it's being built for the future. Seattle Terminal is a pretty busy place. There are more passenger trains now than there have been in decades, with more coming. BNSF, quarter after quarter, runs more tonnage over the system. "Velocity" is the big word in the industry. Trains have to keep moving as much as possible.

Didn't cost the BNSF a penny. The tax payers paid thru their nose on this one and they will pay and pay and pay. Not that this was not a good idea but these are the same people who spent tax dollars to paint a Sounder unit in the Tacoma "City of Destiny" paint scheme, are spending billions to have a light rail system that goes from no where to no where.....and allows their F59's to idle throughout the day wasting fuel....

If they spent these dollars on true improvements (like the new tracks), bless em.

The "City of Destiny" paint scheme is just a wrap- transit agencies do it all the time on buses, light rail cars etc for advertisement and promotion. In the scheme of things (pun intended) its just not a huge expense. As for idling F59s, I have been told many times that it is less expensive to let a locomotive idle all day than to start it up when needed. Its counter intuitive; either its true or a very wide spread urban legend. Perhaps someone can elaborate.

Light rail from downtown Seattle to the international airport at Sea-Tac will open in 2009. Whatever one thinks of the merits of the project, to say it will run from "no where to no where" is an odd choice of words.

cp9122 Wrote:
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> Didn't cost the BNSF a penny. The tax payers paid
> thru their nose on this one and they will pay and
> pay and pay. Not that this was not a good idea
> but these are the same people who spent tax
> dollars to paint a Sounder unit in the Tacoma
> "City of Destiny" paint scheme, are spending
> billions to have a light rail system that goes
> from no where to no where.....and allows their
> F59's to idle throughout the day wasting fuel....
>
> If they spent these dollars on true improvements
> (like the new tracks), bless em.

haneckow Wrote:
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> Light rail from downtown Seattle to the
> international airport at Sea-Tac will open in
> 2009.

Hey, I didn't know this! I haven't been following the goings-on in Seattle, so I was not aware that they were building light rail to Sea-Tac. THANK GOD! It's a pain in the rear to get from the hairport to downtown Seattle. There's the frequent bus service that I've used many times (Gray Line), but it does get boring and frustrating sitting on the bus as it makes a stop every block (or less) at just about every downtown hotel. Light rail will be great! Is it actually going to open in 2009, or is this a projected date?

smitty195 Wrote:
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> haneckow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Light rail from downtown Seattle to the
> > international airport at Sea-Tac will open in
> > 2009.
>
> Hey, I didn't know this! I haven't been following
> the goings-on in Seattle, so I was not aware that
> they were building light rail to Sea-Tac. THANK
> GOD! It's a pain in the rear to get from the
> hairport to downtown Seattle. There's the frequent
> bus service that I've used many times (Gray Line),
> but it does get boring and frustrating sitting on
> the bus as it makes a stop every block (or less)
> at just about every downtown hotel. Light rail
> will be great! Is it actually going to open in
> 2009, or is this a projected date?


But even current transit service on Route 194 from SEA-TAC is excellent ($1.25 offpeak fare), runs every 30 minutes to downtown, and takes about 30 minutes. I've taken it several times to connect at King St. Station with Amtrak when flying in to SEA-TAC. No need to take a Grayline.

Reindeerflame states:

But even current transit service on Route 194 from
> SEA-TAC is excellent ($1.25 offpeak fare), runs
> every 30 minutes to downtown, and takes about 30
> minutes. I've taken it several times to connect
> at King St. Station with Amtrak when flying in to
> SEA-TAC. No need to take a Grayline.

He's right-- "Smitty" ... If the Metro 194 bus is still running when the light-rail opens... It will beat the time hands down, of the train getting to Seattle. The light-rail winds around here and there and will take far too long for commuters to depend on.
The 194 is better than the 174 which is a "dangerous run" and a long "milk run" too.

KRK
Metro Transit Operator

I didn't know about this bus line. I will be in Seattle next week-----is there a convenient bus/bus connection to get from the Marriott Waterfront Plaza to Sea-Tac?

I'm looking at Metro's website and the Route 194 timetable, but I am not familiar with the locations it is listing.

Apologies in advance for what may be a trivial point of nearly zero interest, but I felt I must share. I rode today's "Mariners' Special," operated by Sound Transit, from Tacoma to Seattle. Somewhere within the first mile or so south of Safeco Field, parked on a parallel track to the west of whatever main we used, was a hopper car still bearing CB&Q reporting marks. This is the first car I've seen around here still lettered for one of the BN predecessors, other than the NP & GN woodchip cars, in several years. While I would suspect it's used for ballast service, I wouldn't know for sure....but I'll stick with that guess and therefore call the sighting relevant to this thread.

Barely.

There is a 7 minute difference between the scheduled time of the 194 and Link... that isn't much and Rail doesn't get caught up in traffic, unlike the bus...Link will run on-time, regardless of weather.. It's on time status isn't dependent on if there was a accident on I-5 or it's raining on I-5 or holiday traffic, etc.. it'll glide right over all of that at 55mph all the way to MLK Way, where it does 40mph the entire way then picks right back up to 55mph through the tunnel.

But there is one big difference.. Link will actually SERVE people and create TOD while the 194 is just an express bus...Check out youtube.. plenty of videos on there of loading passengers onboard the 194, struggling to get luggage onboard..etc

Typical tail from the anti-rail transit side.... =)

Brian

So, with all of this "chat" about Sounder, Link, Metro and speed,who knows the latest timetable for double-tracking those 2 or 3 single track sections between Everett and Seattle. Seems like it has been pushed back at least a year.

I went to the game at Safeco last Tuesday night and took the Metro 358 from Aurora Village to S> Washington St. & 2nd Ave. E - end of line. Observations: The fare was $2.50 down and $1.50 back. (Cheap, compared to gas and a min. of $20 for Parking.) The driver was very pleasant and informative. Seats in the new Metro extended buses were made for people with cast iron asses. My bus had an express sign in the window, but the only difference I saw in the number of stops were 3 or 4 left out on the stretch between Aurora Bridge and downtown. The "Start Stop" for the northbound bus at S. Washington and 3rd could have better signage. There is one little sign on a light pole and the sign is in shadow. Also, it only shows on one side, so if you approach on the sidewalk from the other side, you miss. I went around the block twice; not fun in that part of town late at night.

Barry Stone

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Reindeerflame states:
>
> But even current transit service on Route 194
> from
> > SEA-TAC is excellent ($1.25 offpeak fare), runs
> > every 30 minutes to downtown, and takes about
> 30
> > minutes. I've taken it several times to
> connect
> > at King St. Station with Amtrak when flying in
> to
> > SEA-TAC. No need to take a Grayline.
>
> He's right-- "Smitty" ... If the Metro 194 bus is
> still running when the light-rail opens... It will
> beat the time hands down, of the train getting to
> Seattle. The light-rail winds around here and
> there and will take far too long for commuters to
> depend on.
> The 194 is better than the 174 which is a
> "dangerous run" and a long "milk run" too.
>
> KRK
> Metro Transit Operator


Not really. Since the bus runs every 30 minutes, the average wait time at the airport bus stop for someone getting off the plane is 15 minutes (some wait zero, some wait 30, average is 15) so the average trip is 45 minutes. Off-peak light-rail usually runs every 15 minutes or less, so the average wait time is 7.5 minutes or less. It was mentioned that the LRT will cover the distance in 37 minutes, so the LRT will have roughly the same average total trip time (44.5 minutes vs. the 45 minutes on the bus.) Add in that an LRT (not a streetcar sharing lanes) will usually have less delays than a bus, and the LRT ends up offering better service.

Well at least things are lookin' up in Seattle, won't be up there for the 2ND Time until 09, but can't wait to see changes when I head up there to see my friend!

poffcapt Wrote:
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> So, with all of this "chat" about Sounder, Link,
> Metro and speed,who knows the latest timetable for
> double-tracking those 2 or 3 single track sections
> between Everett and Seattle. Seems like it has
> been pushed back at least a year.

The single-to-double track by Golden Gardens Park will be done later this summer. It sounds like the section at Edmonds will be 2009. MP 27 to MP 28 south of Mukilteo probably after that.

So it sounds like this project is at least a year (if not two years) behind. Have they actually started roadbed work or are they going to start sometime this year? Thanks.

poffcapt Wrote:
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> So it sounds like this project is at least a year
> (if not two years) behind. Have they actually
> started roadbed work or are they going to start
> sometime this year? Thanks.

The subgrade at Golden Gardens has been done for almost a year. The new control point halfway between Golden Gardens and Carkeek parks, Blue Ridge, is done on the track side. Signal has had delays, though. When we did the trackwork last summer and fall, it was estimated to be fully cut over by Feb. 2008. Blue Ridge has to be up before the double track at Golden Gardens can begin. That's to be July, now, I believe.

Manpower levels can be one of the things that get these projects backed up. There has been plenty of hiring, both MOW and Signal, but everybody is free to bid and work where their seniority allows. Hiring is not explicitly for Commuter Construction. Priorities also change between other work areas. At times it seems that it can be a juggling act.