Submitted by the City of Lakewood.
The state Department of Transportation’s Rail division sent the following update Thursday, Aug. 16: In spring 2019, Amtrak anticipates returning Cascades passenger train service to the Point Defiance Bypass between Tacoma, Lakewood, JBLM and DuPont. This schedule allows time for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its investigation and issue its recommendations related to the 2017 derailment in DuPont.
It also provides time to monitor how Positive Train Control (PTC) is working on the current Amtrak Cascades route, before returning the service to the bypass. Amtrak, Sound Transit, and BNSF are all working together to ensure PTC is operating seamlessly in the entire Pacific Northwest and they are confident they will meet the December 31, 2018 federal deadline for implementation in our region. PTC equipment testing and crew training will occur on the Point Defiance Bypass throughout the fall and winter in preparation for the return of daily service next spring.
David Anderson says
According to “The Seattle Times”, December 21, 2017, three days after the Amtrak derailment in DuPont, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) spokesperson Barbara LaBoe said “officials were wanting to have renewed conversations with communities along the new route.”
According to a phone call received from WSDOT on December 26 – WSDOT having been invited to the Tillicum Woodbrook Neighborhood Association in keeping with LaBoe’s promise to “renew conversations with communities along the route” – the spokesperson said they (WSDOT) “were not ready yet with answers to the likely questions but would keep us on the list of people to contact when they were.”
Hopefully that’s still the case.
Marty says
Bet you a Coke they don’t show, David.
Janet from WSDOT says
Hi David, WSDOT will be presenting to the Tillicum Woodbrook Neighborhood Association (as well as other organizations in Lakewood and DuPont) before we return to the Bypass. We’ve presented to your group several times in the past and intend to do so again.
David Anderson says
Thank you. The TWNA meets the first Thursday of each month, 6:30 P.M. at the Tillicum Community Center, 14916 Washington Ave. SW, Lakewood, WA 98498. We look forward to scheduling you and it may be that with enough advance notice – and thus promotion – we would possibly change the venue to the Tillicum Elementary School.
William Marsh says
Will PTC help stop this Train when we have a sizeable Earthquake? Going 79mph and encountering a ground ripple of 3.2 to 6.1 which seems to be the avg in our latest samples, and Olympia being a epicenter for a lot of these shakers, what will this PTC system offer as a safe slow down for this Grayhound or is there another system already in place, like a manual hand brake? Maybe add some drag shoots from a SR-71 to slow this Lighting Dart down.
Steve says
Will your foot and brake be able to handle a “ground ripple” as you and your car barrel along I-5…? What happens to the 18-wheeler next to you??
Why do you guys like to vilify trains so much when they are far more safe than the buggy you drive?? Yes, we had a terrible accident here, but overall I’d get on a train (or plane) any day before getting into a car with a poorly trained average driver…