Well that's what the said on the news today. It was a story that said Sound transit had gotten permission from one of the railroads to run light rail on it's tracks.

But this special note said that if I-695 passed then light rail would have no funds.

Too bad it's not true. Wouldn't that be nice?

-- maddjak (maddjak@hotmail.com), August 27, 1999

Answers

Sound Transit isn't really light rail, it's commuter rail. It doesn't work very well for the same reasons that Amtrak doesn't work very well. We will be funding the BNSF for $200 million in track and crossing improvements for their money-making freight lines however. Not a bad deal for the people who own railroad stock.

Craig

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), August 27, 1999.

Most of the Sound Transit funding comes from a local MVET. While that is of course not affected by 695, the way they assess this tax is by using the state's depreciation schedule, which, by the way, would be deleted if 695 passes. No depreciation schedule, no way to collect the tax.

I believe that it would require the legislature to recreate a depreciation schedule somewhere else in the RCW's. This of course could not happen immediately, nor would it even be assured to happen. So it could be said that 695 does remove Sound Transit funding, although it is something that can be corrected.

And yes, part of Sound Transit includes a light rail system as well as a commuter rail system. You may have heard all the fuss over extending the line to Northgate and the complaints about how it will go through the Rainier Valley. THAT is the light rail system.

-- Patrick (patrick1142@yahoo.com), August 27, 1999.

" So it could be said that 695 does remove Sound Transit funding, although it is something that can be corrected. "

If Sound Transit funding WERE removed that WOULD BE correcting a mistak

-- Gary Henriksen (henrik@harbornet.com), August 27, 1999.

From todays Tacoma News Tribune

BNSF wants to increase speed limits to 60 mph for freight trains and 79 mph for Amtrak passenger trains and Sound Transit commuter trains. Sound Transit is to start using the tracks next year.

Current train speed limits vary from city to city. Puyallup, for example, has a 30 mph limit, and Sumner has a 40 mph limit through most of the city. In Puyallup, the tracks bisect the community and run through downtown. The tracks also cut through Sumner, but on the edge of downtown.

Unless cities can prove overriding safety concerns, the speed limits will be increased because federal law allows it, the commission has said. The speed limits also would be increased on Union Pacific tracks in the Seattle-Tacoma corridor, including the tracks that run through Fife, according to the UTC.

Apparently part of the deal for use of the BNSF tracks in addition to the $200 million for track upgrades, 4+ million per year for track rental, and (probably) a rework of their downtown tunnel built in 1906, was that their freight lines that now are limited to 30 mph in some of the downtown areas will now be allowed to go 660 mph. What a great deal for John Q. Public

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), August 31, 1999.

Sorry, typo.

obviously 60mph, not 60.

-- Craigster (craigcar@crosswinds.net), August 31, 1999.

Dang-

all thumbs today

Obviously 60mph, not 660.

-- Craigster (craigcar@crosswinds.net), August 31, 1999.