HERMISTON, Ore. — Union Pacific announced this week that would be laying off nearly 200 people at its Hinkle rail yard in Hermiston, the latest example of cost reductions brought on by Precision Scheduled Railroading. About 195 people will lose their jobs as UP closes its Hinkle locomotive shop and warehouse over the next two […]
SEATTLE — The National Transportation Safety Board wasn’t stingy in handing out criticisms or recommendations for changes in the aftermath of the December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment, so those on the receiving end have a lot of work ahead of them figuring out if and how they’ll respond to the safety board. For the Washington […]
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad has stepped in to help save this former logging locomotive and two cars on display in Garibaldi, Ore. Martin E. Hansen GARIBALDI, Ore. — The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad has answered a call for help to rescue a deteriorating steam locomotive and trainset on local display, averting the potential sale or […]
Amtrak’s Freighthouse Square station in Tacoma is awaiting the return of trains to the Point Defiance Bypass. The release of the NTSB’s report on a 2017 derailment could hasten that process. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will release its report on the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades passenger […]
SEATTLE — A Sound Transit committee has recommended removing the site of a recently opened hamburger restaurant from consideration as the site of a new maintenance facility. By a 5-0 vote last week, the System Expansion Committee recommended that the site of a Dick’s Drive-In and Lowe’s home improvement center in Kent, Wash., be dropped […]
Coos Bay, Oregon Google Maps SEATTLE — The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay believes it can have a swing-span bridge on its rail line back to normal operation by the end of this month. That will come too late to save a Georgia-Pacific lumber mill, the closing of which was announced earlier this month […]
The Washington Park & Zoo Railway, shown in June 2017, is a 0.5-mile, 2.5-foot gauge railroad at the Oregon Zoo that opened in 1958. The primary equipment, dubbed the “Zooliner,” is a 5/8 scale replica of the Aerotrain, constructed by Northwest Marine Iron Works and H. Hirschberger Sheet Metal Co., both of Portland. Scott A. […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit, in conjunction with King County Metro and the city of Seattle, launched a new on-demand shuttle serving five Link light rail stations in southeast Seattle and Tukwila. Service is provided by Via, which also operates in New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles. The shared rides cost the same as a […]
Coos Bay, Ore. Google Maps SEATTLE — Georgia-Pacific LLC is closing a 111-employee lumber mill in the Oregon coastal town of Coos Bay, citing as one of the reasons rail service that has been cut off by a bridge closure for close to a year. Instead of loading lumber at the mill, GP has had […]
SEATTLE — The Alaska Railroad carried a third less freight by weight in 2018 compared with 2017 totals, but a change in the mix of freight coupled with gains on the passenger side helped dampen the drop in revenue and net income. The Anchorage, Alaska-based state-owned railroad reported operating revenue of $163.4 million in 2018, […]
Sound Transit is seeking public comment on its plans to expand Tacoma’s light rail system to Sea-Tac Airport. TRAINS: David Lassen TACOMA, Wash. — Sound Transit has released potential routes and begun the public-comment period for its planned for its Tacoma Dome Link Extension, which will connect Tacoma’s light rail to Sea-Tac Airport and the […]
SEATTLE — Positive train control is now fully operational on the route of the Amtrak Cascades, the Washington state Department of Transportation has announced. However, there is still no date for returning Cascades trains to the Point Defiance bypass south of Tacoma, Wash. Seattle TV station KIRO reports PTC equipment is now in place from […]
