MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Counties in Washington state that rely on BNSF Railway trains to remove garbage have asked for congressional help in dealing with unreliable service from the railroad.
The website GoSkagit.com reports that Skagit County Public Works Director Grace Kane says the county’s trash transfer station was last closed on July 11 because garbage had not been removed, and has been close to closing other times because trains to remove garbage have not arrived.
“All this time, we’ve relied on BNSF, and the trains have become unreliable,” Kane told the site.
Kane and officials from Snohomish and Island counties, which also use BNSF to move trash, made with congressional staff members and asked them to apply legislative pressure. The railroad responds to complaints, she said, but improvement is temporarily: “It feels like whoever is screaming the loudest gets the attention this week.”
A BNSF representative said the company is working with its partners to reduce backlogs and is planning infrastructure improvements.
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