BNSF has announced it is investing $220 million in its Washington state rail network in the upcoming year, with a significant portion of the upgrades to be centered around Vancouver.
The railroad is improving track from Wishram in the Columbia River Gorge to its Vancouver rail yard and track on the north/south line connecting Seattle and Portland.
“The main line routes where our commodities are being hauled will be on brand-new track, whether replaced this year or last year,” said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas.
In the 100 miles of track between Vancouver and Wishram, BNSF will replace 65,000 wooden ties, resurface some rail and install about 70 miles of new rail. Unlike the old rails, which were bolted together, the new ones will be continuously welded and much quieter when trains driver over them.
“There will be no more of the clickity-clack” sound trains are synonymous with, Melonas said.
BNSF will replace two bridges along the Gorge route. Work on the bridge over the Washougal River at Camas should be finished at the end of this year. The bridge at Stevenson will be completed next year or the year after, Melonas said.
About 35 trains run through the Gorge on a daily basis.
Also, in the Vancouver rail yard, a new 12,500-foot bypass line opened last month to train traffic. The bypass separates passenger trains from freight trains, thus eliminating congestion and delays that frequently occurred in thge past, said Frank Green, the Cascades High Speed Rail project lead for the project. The $38.5 million project was paid for with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that are separate from the $220 million in BNSF funds.
“Last year was the busiest construction year in the Vancouver rail yard since its initial construction,” Melonas said.
Statewide, BNSF plans to replace about 325,000 railroad ties and surface more than 1,200 miles of track. The funds were announced as part of a $4.3 billion capital investment throughout the BNSF rail network to take place in 2016.
In the last three years, BNSF has invested $550 million in track upgrades in Washington state.
“We’re not back to peak volume yet, but we’re building for the future,” Melonas said.
BNSF ships a wide variety of commodities, but current shipping volumes at BNSF are still short of the 2006 peak, Melonas said. He also said they’ve seen a dip in the demand for oil and coal, however, the company expects overall shipping volumes to be flat this year.
In January the company announced it plans to reduce capital expenditures for the first time in six years in light of the reduced freight shipping.
