Before we get the rest of the $669 million spent on Sounder, dont you think we ought to get a commitment from the fire department that this tunnel meets standards? It sort of looks like a death trap in the event of an accident or (God forbid) terrorist attack. Almost a mile long, negligible ventilation, and no room to put in passenger evacuation walkways (and lets not even TALK about handicapped egress). Wouldnt it be prudent to decide if this was safe, BEFORE THE TWO-THIRDS OF A BILLION FOR SOUNDER IS SPENT?

Is BNSF Tunnel Safe for Passenger Trains?

A former Great Northern tunnel built in 1906 still carries trains underneath downtown Seattle, Washington. In a few years, thousands of rush-hour commuters will ride new passenger trains through this very same, now BNSF, tunnel. This appears to be an efficient use of existing resource, yes. But the one-mile tunnel has no emergency exits, ventilation system, fire hydrants or telephones. IS IT SAFE? SEATTLE'S FIRE MARSHAL SAYS THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED and BNSF officials say there has never been an accident in the tunnel in its 93 years of existence. This little known tunnel is an integral part of Sound Transit's $3.9 billion rapid transit system, now under construction in the traffic-clogged Puget Sound to speed commuters between Tacoma, Everett and all points 30 miles north of Seattle. Original city movers and shakers could not have imagined modern congestion back in 1903, when it took 1,000 men to bore through the ground from two points, a mile apart, to built the tunnel for railroad mogul James Hill. The project was finished in 1906. The concrete-lined two-track tunnel, 26 feet high and 30 feet wide sits 110 feet below the surface, below the foundations of Seattle downtown skyscrapers. Today, 46 freight trains and four Amtrak passenger trains travel through the narrow tunnel daily. Those numbers will skyrocket when Sound Transit begins to operate 18 daily trips at rush hour when northbound service from Seattle begins in 2001. Fire officials will require a number of fire and life-safety precautions installed. This includes a pipe outlet every 150 feet to provide water in case of a fire. Also, an antenna should be placed in the tunnel for continuous radio communications. Ventilation is another issue. Modern tunnels include fan and smoke systems to draw out or blow smoke and fumes during a fire. But the old Great Northern tunnel lacks any surface openings. The Federal Railroad Adminstration has no regulations on tunnels. Sound Transit must submit an emergency-preparedness plan with provisions for passenger escape routes, lighting and rescue procedures for its entire rapid transit system. Thanks to Register-Guard From Sept 6 NW Rails (www.northwestrails.com)

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), December 30, 1999