Columbia Basin Herald

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In this article Columbia Basin Herald writes about the ongoing Moses Lake project that will link the airport to BNSF. Everyone has been pushing to fund this one, because it involves a very big airport and and region full of opportunity.

WSDOT Rebuilds Between Walulla and Dayton

So just how long have trains been running in Washington State? A quick check of Ask.com brings up the old NP Depot in Dayton that opened in 1881 and is now listed as the oldest surviving. But there isn't any list of who operated a railroad first in the Evergreen State. That said, how does the date 1875 grab you? While it might not be the oldest in the state, the line between Walulla and Walla Walla is still pretty stinkin' old.

The Washington State Department of Transportation - WSDOT - has scheduled a rebuild of this historic line. Check out all the maps etc at the WSDOT Site.

MILW Trestle Getting New Deck for Trail

Peninsula Daily News recently reported that an old railroad trestle will get new life as Discovery Trail link. Volunteers from the Peninsula Trail Coalition will deck the near 100-year old structure with concrete and add to the constantly expanding trail that is built on portions of what used to be The Milwaukee Road's 14th Subdivision.

I rode portions of this old right-of-way back in the 90s on a bicycle. It's a shame that no trains run out that way anymore, because a ride up the Olympic Peninsula would be beautiful. Thankfully the Peninsula Train Coalition is accomplishing the next best thing by restoring much of the right-of-way to pedestrian and bicycle use.

Tacoma approves Sounder route over Pacific Avenue

Last week Sound Transit got approval to build over Pacific Avenue to connect with South Tacoma. It's a mere distance of 1.2 miles, but will bring rail service back to South Tacoma by 2012. Some people are concerned that Pacific Avenue will suffer from being lowered; guess we'll have to see how this plays out.

If you don't know what this project will look like, here's a handy map courtesy of Google.