Stampede Pass Line To Reopen

AUBURN - Burlington Northern Santa Fe plans to start running freight trains tomorrow over the reopened Stampede Pass line.

BNSF spokesman Richard Russack said the railroad will at first run one train in each direction on the route from Auburn to the Tri-Cities.

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma have lobbied hard for rebuilding the historic route to speed passage of Asian ship-to-rail cargo to Chicago. But residents of Auburn and other communities have questioned how they will cope with long trains and the resulting traffic congestion and noise. BNSF also has asked the state to increase the speed limit for trains moving through as many as 33 communities between Seattle, Spokane and Portland.

State officials say that unless local governments can prove the increased speeds are a safety hazard there's little the state can do to stop the increases.

"If you can go faster safely, it makes the trip shorter," said Alan Scott, of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.