King County Rail Corridor Preservation
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line
King County Eastside Rail Corridor
Preservation Project Map (Acrobat pdf)
King County is working to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to save a 47 mile rail corridor to turn into a trail for the public.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad's.Eastside Rail
Corridor runs from the north end of Renton to the City of Snohomish,
plus a seven mile spur line running between the cities of Woodinville
and Redmond. The rail corridor passes through the King County cities
of Renton, Bellevue, Newcastle, Kirkland and Woodinville.
After announcing the desire to sell the rail corridor, parts of
which have been used by trains for over 100 years, BNSF has agreed
to the concept of selling the corridor to the Port of Seattle
as part of a complex proposal that will support billions
of dollars in economic activity and create a nationally significant
hiking and biking trail. The potential deal includes the Port swapping
the corridor for the King County International Airport (Boeing
Field). The complex proposal includes the possible sale of King
County property on Harbor Island to the Port and the siting of
a rail intermodal site somewhere between Tacoma and Seattle. Additionally,
the State of Washington agreed to budget $25 million to improve
Stampede Pass to allow movement of more container cargo.
The King County Executive looked to existing assets as a way to
preserve the corridor for the benefit of the region rather than
propose a tax to finance purchase. Additionally, it allows the county
and the port to stop competing in operation of Sea-Tac and Boeing
Field as with the 2005 proposed move of Southwest Airlines from
Sea-Tac to Boeing Field.
Project Goals
King County’s primary project goals are to support economic
development in the region and work to preserve a valuable corridor
for the benefit of the public and to ensure that future uses of
the corridor best serve the public interest.
Current Status
King County, BNSF and the Port of Seattle are currently in negotiations.
The PSRC has been conducting a thorough public process on possible
uses of the rail corridor supported by the county.
If you would like to subscribe to e-mail updates about this project,
please send a blank e-mail to EASTSIDE-RAIL-CORRIDOR-ACQ-PROJ-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@lists.kingcounty.gov.
Project details:
For more information please contact Logan
Harris, Public Affairs Manager, King County Department of Natural
Resources and Parks, 206-263-6550.
In the news (external
links):
King County, Port sign deal for Eastside rail line (Seattle Times)
Port OKs Eastside trail deal (Seattle P-I)
 Port Of Seattle Buys Eastside Rail Corridor (KIRO TV)
Deal signed to buy Snohomish-to-Renton rail line (Everett Herald)
County Council OKs Eastside trail with rail (Seattle P-I)
King County OKs deal that could put trails in Eastside rail corridor
(Seattle Times)
 King County Approves Eastside Rail/Trail Deal (KPLU)
Eastside rail & trail a great plan (Seattle P-I)
Eastside train a bad proposal (Seattle P-I)
'Rails to Trail' deal done by fall? (Seattle P-I)
BNSF Railway to cut Eastside line (Seattle Times)
All aboard Eastside commuter rail (Seattle Times)
Rail corridor on the right track (Seattle P-I)
Get on board with eastside commuter rail (Everett HeraldNet)
Port on track to purchase BNSF corridor (Woodinville Weekly)
Rail corridor plan approved (Seattle P-I)
Sims to let Port buy rail line (Seattle Times)
Deal could be near on Eastside rail corridor (Seattle Times)
Port moves closer to deal on rail corridor, Executive given authority to negotiate with BNSF (Seattle P-I)
Ron Sims backs off Eastside rails-to-trail deadline Talks with Port of Seattle will go on (Seattle P-I)
Eastside rail: We just don't get it (Seattle Times)
Sims to Port: No deal if rails stay (Seattle Times)
Burn calories, not carbon (Seattle P-I)
Port to Acquire BNSF Rail Corridor (Port of Seattle)
Rail backers fear trail would doom plan (Seattle Times)
Port could raise taxes for rail corridor (Seattle P-I)
Port commissioners not interested in deal to own Boeing Field (Seattle Times)
BNSF rebuffs private offer (Seattle Times)
(Seattle Times)
Sims wants to pick up speed on land-swap deal (Seattle Times)
Sims hopes to buy time for rails-for-trails (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Rail-to-trail-to-rail
(Seattle Times)
Rails
To Trails: Better all the time (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Building
trails, preserving rails (Seattle Times)
Eastsiders
on traffic: "We need to do something" (Seattle
Times)
County,
port and railroad sign preliminary land-exchange deal (Puget
Sound Business Journal)
$169
million tag on airport, trail swap (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
"Granddaddy
of all trails" could come from land swap (Seattle
Times)
King
County, Seattle port discuss major land deal (Seattle Post
Intelligencer)
Rail
line users should be able to keep on chuggin (Seattle Times)
Opinion:Trailway
an investment in healthy region (Seattle PI)
Opinion:A
golden opportunity to preserve public use (Seattle Times)
Survey:
More people hitting local trails throughout week (Seattle
Times)
King County trying to buy rail corridor for new trail (Seattle
Times)
Get E-mail Updates
Please let us know if you would like to receive news and
updates about the King County Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line
rail preservation project by adding your e-mail address on the Burlington
Northern Sante Fe listserve--, simply send a blank e-mail to EASTSIDE-RAIL-CORRIDOR-ACQ-PROJ-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@lists.kingcounty.gov.
You may unsubscribe by sending a blank e-mail to a similar address,
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