Fatal train crash may hurt support for high-speed rail between Vancouver and Portland

All 12 cars and one locomotive of an Amtrak train travelling from Seattle to Portland derailed Monday morning north of Olympia, with the locomotive and several cars crashing onto the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 and damaging at least five vehicles. Three people were killed and many were injured. The train was the first regularly-scheduled Amtrak train to use the rail line, which has been rehabilitated at a cost of $181 million in the past few years for use by both Amtrak and Sound Transit commuter trains. The crash comes just four days after a study on high-speed rail between Vancouver, B.C.and Portland was released to the Washington State legislature.

Photo from startribune.com

High-speed rail between Vancouver and Portland got a boost last week – and then suffered a very serious blow on Monday morning, when an Amtrak train derailed south of Tacoma.

A study commissioned by the State of Washington was released on Thursday to the state legislature's joint transportation committee. It estimated that building high-speed rail that would link Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma and Portland would cost between $24 and $42 billion, and could cut travel times to as little as an hour between Vancouver and Seattle. The study assumes trains would travel at least 250 miles per hour (402 km/h).

High-speed rail has been talked about for years, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee was recently in Victoria to address the B.C. Legislature and talk with Premier John Horgan about it. Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both shown enthusiasm for the idea.

If high-speed rail ever gets the go-ahead, and it would require a massive commitment of government funding from both American and Canadian sources, it would mean certain relocation of the passenger rail tracks through Surrey. Whether that would also involve relocation of the tracks used by Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight trains which travel along the waterfront from Blaine, through White Rock, Ocean Park and Crescent Beach and along Mud Bay, is not dealt with in the report.

There has been considerable pressure in recent years to relocate the tracks away from the waterfront, and it was an issue in the recent South Surrey-White Rock federal byelection.

However, the derailment Monday may put any plans for high-speed rail on hold, at least in the near future. An Amtrak train travelling from Seattle to Portland was the first scheduled train to use a new, higher-speed rail corridor between Tacoma and Olympia when it derailed about 8 a.m. Monday. It has now been confirmed that the train was travelling 80 miles per hour limit, which is just above the 79 mph maximum possible speed on the line. The derailment took place on a curve and trestle over Interstate 5, where trains are supposed to slow to a reduced speed limit of 30 mph.

It occurred on the first day that the new $181 million line was in full service, although there have been many test trains along the line in the past few months. The money was spent to upgrade existing track on a former branch line originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway. It bypasses a slower route along the coastline south of Tacoma. It was completely rebuilt with concrete ties, welded rail and new signal systems and was meant to give a significant boost to passenger rail traffic in the busy Cascades corridor. The traffic would include Amtrak trains and commuter trains. Sound Transit, which operates commuter trains, bus service and the Link LRT system, now owns the track. No commuter trains run south of Lakewood at this point in time.

Interstate 5 between Tacoma and Olympia is often very congested and the improved rail corridor was supposed to offer drivers an alternative. The new passenger route travels right through Joint Base Lewis McChord, a large military base which is a major destination for travellers in that area.

Three people have been confirmed dead, two of whom were passenger rail advocates travelling on the inaugural trip. One of them, Jim Hamre, is a member of a Facebook rail enthusiasts' group that I belong to.
Southbound Interstate 5 remains closed Tuesday, to allow for removal of the rail cars, investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and inspection of the overpass and freeway itself for any signs of damage. It is unlikely it will be open until Wednesday at the earliest.
The train derailed on one of two adjacent trestles that cross the freeway at that point, taking southbound trains from the west side of I-5 to the east side. Several cars and the lead locomotive toppling off the bridge and onto the freeway. All 12 passenger and baggage cars derailed, with only the rear locomotive staying on the tracks. Numerous vehicles on the highway were hit by flying debris and some highway travellers were injured. Emergency crews were searching the derailed cars for passengers. There were 80 passengers and five crew members aboard the train.

The study suggested that the lower-cost $24 billion route could start at the King George Station in Surrey and travel through Seattle to a final stop in the north end of Portland. By avoiding downtown stops in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, the cost would be significantly less – but there are also concerns that ridership would be significantly smaller as well.

The most expensive $42 billion route would go from downtown Vancouver to downtown Seattle and downtown Portland.

The report looked not only at the rail corridors, but also at possible technology that could be used. It examined high-speed rail, involving steel wheels on tracks, a maglev system and a hyperloop system. More details on the routes and technology are available in the report, which can be accessed at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/fulltext/LegReports//17-19/UltraHighSpeedGroundTransportation.pdf