The Olympian from Olympia, Washington • 25

r- wwwm: -f i- 1 The Olympian Sunday December 13 1998 From Page One C5 SPECIAL REPORT J- KVi BnptiMmii oan (wcrami? Tbny OwttwVTTw Olympian FAMILY AFFAIR! Michael Ellis (left) brought his children Richard 3 and Jamie 4 along on the train ride from Vancouver British Columbia to Seattle as a test 1 wanted to see how they handled the trip before trying to fly to Disneyland They still need a lot of room to move around" Ellis concluded after arriving in Seattle lured by 1-5 alternative Riders TRAFFIC WOES: Rail passengers say a key reason behind their desire to take the train is the urge to stay off the road LACEY Kathleen House was traveling to Seattle on a business Morris was heading to Portland on a pleasure trip Carol Wilson and Ralph Harris were hoping their grandson could hop the train in Bellingham and come to Olympia or that they could take the train to bncouvec They were among the passengers and potential passengers Ethered at Centennial Station week waiting to catch a train They are the kina of people Washington state and Amtrak hope will help them build their train runs along the Eugene Ore to Vancouver British Columbia corridor A key reason for their desire to take the train was a strong desire to stay off the road they could bring the price down to the point where you could reduce driving trips it would be wonderful" said House who works in computer software and THE BOTTOM AT A GLANCE 3 Here are the major highlights of building up the 464-mile Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor between Eugene Ore and Vancouver British Columbia and what is proposed for the future The corridor includes 296 miles of rail in Washington 134 in Oregon and 34 In British Columbia 1992 1 The Federal Railroad Administration designates the corridor as one of five high-speed corridors targeted for development A special commission recommends incremental improvements to the corridor opening the way for a public private partnership between Am-traK uregon wasmngton ana British Columbia and railroads such as Burlington Northern Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific 1993i Final year Amtrak delivers service before the partnership begins Annual number of riders on the corridor: 226391 1994i Washington and Oregon begin sponsoring Amtrak Washington leases a Talgo high-speed train and sponsors a new daily round-trip between Seattle ana Portland Oregon extends ran service to Eugene Annual number or riders on the corridor 292500 1995! Improvements are made to the rail lines between Seattle and Vancouver Rail service is restored between the two cities after a 14-year break Annual corridor rider-ship: 390476 1996i Talgo is awarded the contract to build more train sets for the state and Amtrak The Seattle-Vancouver run is named Train of the Year for customer satisfaction Annual corridor riderehip: 424871 1997i Work continues to build the train sets and construct the Oregon part of the system Annual corridor riderehip: 484935 1998i The federal government and railroad officials approve more extensive use of Talgo trains Travel time between Seattle and Portland is reduced and another run is added Three new Talgo trains replace the two leased Talgos operating on the corridor late in the year Annual corridor riderehip estimate: 525000-540000 1999i Efforts will continue to add a second daily Talgo run between Seattle and Vancouver The state will continue to work for more convenient connections between Portland and Vancouver A new stop In Tukwila is scheduled to open by the end of the year to connect with a new commuter rail line 20011 The historic King Street Station In Seattle is scheduled to reopen after extensive renovation Two more Seattfe-Portland round-trips are scheduled to begin bringing the total to five round-trips 2002i Oregon plans more runs between Portland and Eugene and reductions in the travel time between the two cities 2003! Washington plans to increase the number of round-trips daily between Seattle and Portland to seven and from Seattle to Vancouver to three Better connections will be in place 'Annual estimated corridor riderehip between 2002 and 2005: 11 million 2015i Seattle to Portland runs will increase to 12 with a travel time of 2 hours and 30 minutes Seattle to Vancouver round-trip runs wit) increase to four with a travel time of 2 hours and 57 minutes Train speeds will reach 1 10 mph along some rural parts of the corridor Estimated annual corridor riderehip: 2 million What Is a Talgo? Washington's three new Talgo train sets are trains" that can operate at speeds of 125 miles per hour or higher around curves without slowing down or causing any disruptions to passengers They are the product of Patentee Talgo SA of Madrid Spain Their construction was overseen by Talgo Inc a Washington company and subsidiary of the Spanish company The 12-car train sets cost $10 million each Here's what the three new train sets will feature when they are put into service late this month: Thwy will swat up to 243 passengers They will ham five coach care with 36 reclining seats each electrical outlets for laptops and other devices audio and video connections at each seat a They will ham a custom class car (similar to first-class on an airline) two handicapped accessible cars (one a custom class car) a Bistro lounge car baggage car power car and locomotive a Among the amenities are bice racks recycling bine more garbage cans fresh local foods more flexible foot rests 17-Inch television monitors and panoramic windows with less tint than current models Spanel an absolute staunch supporter of rail" Spanel said pave our way out of this problem Just enough room to put down enough pavement And even if we could what kind of quality of life would we RIDING THE RAILS: Thun backers say the new technology that provides a quiet high-speed trip will get people out of their cars STORIES BY BOB MRTLOW THE OLYMPIAN LYMPIA Why get out of the car and ride the train? State Sen Georgia Gardner answers the question with a question you want to have a drink in the dub car and make eyes at the girl in the next seat or do you want to drive in that God-awfal traffic on 1-5?" said Gardner the Blaine Democrat who will be the new co-vice chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee That might not be the specific reason Oregon Washington British Columbia Amtrak ana th railroads banded together to prove the 464 miles of track between Eugene Ora and Vancouver British Columbia and to buy fancy new trains to carry people along them But the idea is the same: Do whatever is necessary to entice people off concrete roads and on to steel rails think in the broad context the state has done a pretty good Job so far" said Lloyd Flem executive director of the Washington Rail Passenger Association state has gently ratcheted up what they have done and it has With Washington leading the way the partners have begun to improve the corridor that runs like a spine up the coast of the continent embarked on a plan that by 2018 could have 13 round trips a day running between Seattle and Portland with stops in between including the station on Yelm Highway that serves urban Thurston County Now there are three round trips Seven round trips are planned between Seattle and Vancouver British Columbia The goal is a 464-mile high-speed corridor that can handle trains running up to 125 mph or more The trains actually run that fast 110 mph is the top speed and that will be attained only in some rural areas including some south and north of Olympia said state Department of Transportation spokesman Stan Suchan The new technology Riding the rails will be new $10 million 12-car trains built by Talgo that come equipped with technology to allow them to easily reach those speeds even around curves no noticeable disruption to passengers or people living near the tracks Talgo technology allows is faster times at less Flem said TWo older Talgo trains being leased by Washington are operating along the corridor now in addition to regular Amtrak service At the end of the month they will be replaced with three new ones one bought by Amtrak and two by the state live by the tracks in Blaine and my dogs bark at them and I think these trains will even get a rise out of Gardner said after a recent ride on one of the new Tnlanff They are called and come loaded with creature comforts ranging from more spacious seating to electronic hookups Bistros and lounge cars handicapped accessible and can carry 243 people some of them in what is similar to first-class on an airplane dii did lots of consumer research and had a lot of input from people in the Northwest and our Amtrak employees" said Amtrak spokonroman Eileen McNalfyc name Cascades came from customer input" Corridor improvements are being phased in gradually Each step is being carefully considered and the number of riders produced by each improvement is carefully measured As tracks are fixed and speedier trains added precious minutes are shaved from travel times and riders have responded Their numbers have doubled the past five years to well over half a million riders are expected to total 1 million in the next million by 2020 years and 2 frequency key Speed is important to continuing the rise in riderehip but not the The ultimate goal the travel time frequency" Suchan said is what our customers need the most Do you have a train that is leaving when I need But if people are expecting commuter service that's not what improving the corridor is intended to produce McNally said the federal i ms vast Mrinrvwg COID" muter rail services The runs along this corridor are part of what is called service "This is designed for runs of 160 miles or so" Suchan said ter ways to get to Seattle The traffic is really a Harris who is retired said he and Wilson were just hoping to avoid the crowds moved down from Kirkland to get out of the congestion" he said why he and Wilson were hoping the train ran straight through from Bellingham to Olympia or from Olympia to Vancouver Instead it stops in Seattle for layovers both ways though those who want to build up the corridor say so-called through service without the layovers will be key to making the system more practical for customers While Wilson was disappointed about the layovers in Seattle she still believes trains have a good fu LINE ture would like to see them become a much more used public she said Centennial Station is staffed by volunteers such as Audrey Skaugseth a big fan of the train system and believes the number of riders will continue to grow especially with the Talgo trains speeding up the trips think a great she said will be really great when the tracks can accommodate the high Nina Cunzio-Scalin of Hobokken NJ a free-lance writer had just stepped off a T-ilgo train after three nays traveling acras the countiy to meet friends in Otympia definitely better than riding the bus" she said The Talgo trains which are not designed for long-distance hauls were new to her was a said ever seen" Her friend Erika Reins tein was at the station to meet her also a train fan is the biggest factor but I definitely like to take the she said l-yjj Zi 1 ty 4 Legislators will decide how the Rr 49 money will be spent But Ruth Fisher incoming co-chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee said rail is a key part of the future need a balanced system and rail is part of that balance" she said 'it' -V systems analysis She occasionally takes the train for business trips and often sees others working on the train usually too busy looking out the window to she aaia with a laugh goes through some of the ugliest country in the world With the train you have the water on one side and farmland on the Morris a student at The Evergreen State College decided to take the train to Portland for a variety of reasona need a car when I get there" she said easier something of an adventure better than taking a bus I like to meet people on the train I really supportiL And looking for bet operating expenditures and revenue 2003 2018 $504 million $72 million $325 million $745 million ($1 79 million) $25 million dais have as strong a commitment they say but less money to back iL been fortunate that our other partners have had more resources than Oregon but we realize that happen forever" said Monte Turner spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation Oregon gas tax money goes to iways making rail money com- vices not an easy task especially when got a new program starting up Turner said we're not serving a huge number of passengers because not offering a huge number of trips But until you get more binding you get more trips and more pas- other government ser- ce story is much the same in British Columbia where budget priorities have limited dollars going to rail Unlike federal train dollars (lowing to the states British Columbia has to take train money from the provincial coffers province does support it but we have the resources the state said John Doyle spokesman for BC Transportation Financing Authority is scarce and priorities are elsewhere" British Columbia has only 34 of the 464 miles of track they are the worst 34 miles" Gardner said If the system is to work BC must begin to ante up she said Washington has 296 miles of track Oregon has 134 miles Washington transportation officials are so committed to the corri- month to support roads has led the Transportation Commission to divert some money for rails said Ken The following are past and projected figures tor service along the corridor 1997 Operating costs $226 million Revenues $68 million Net Income (loss) ($1 58 million) State Sen Harriet Spanel D-Bellingham has traveled the 150 miles own Bellingham to Olympia scores of times inner 12 years as a member of the Legislature "I would give anything not to be on 1-5" she said there was a train available Td definitely take Spanel is exactly the kind of person the system is being built to serve Business travelers shoppers and people traveling longer distances to see friends or relatives are the targets But whatever the intentions commuters are likely to be attracted to fast frequent train service not exactly a commuter cor-ridor but it could be one" McNally said Even if commuters never carry the load however the system will be designed to tie into the regional transit commuter wstem being planned for King Pierce and Snohomish counties Potential corridor commuters may be discouraged by the cost which would run $24 to $38 for a around trip to Seattle Suchan But Gardner contends that it could appeal to Boeing employees commuting daily from Whatcom and Skagit counties into Everett are already spending money for van pools and using up huge amounts of space for parking lots that could be used for building she said might be iterested in helping pay for their orkers to take the train It workers Just make financial may Finding the money Finances are another key to the ftiture Washington and the railroads have kicked in hundreds of miliums of dollars to kick start the project Oregon and British Columbia offi Tbny OwnnwVT)w Olympian IMPROVED ACCESS! Cheri Mulholland shown returning home in Vancouver after visiting a friend in Seattle is legally blind and uses a wheelchair She said she is pleased that Amtrak'a new Talgo trains will have improved access allowing wheelchair access between several cars Uznansld manager of the state Rail Office If approved by the Legislature that could mean an additional $106 million the next two years bringing the total to about $169 million could be a little bit of a struggle Flem said 1 it 41 mtm.