From the attached link, you might draw the conclusion that this fair City doesn't know its left from its right, you would be correct. Buying a low revenue line 8 years ago because of the fantasy idea of a railroad to Mt Raiinier; a study 8 years in the making, but still not done (thank you Uncle Sam for the $700k); $25M in public funding for rail improvements; a line that turns a profit in 2005, but loses again in 2006, and NOW the City naysayers want to bail. Funny thing is, they would sell to their own Public Utility, but wait, they may not want it. Stay tuned, as the rail turns. http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/6289692p-5485750c.html
Selling the Mountain Division to Tacoma Rail (Tacoma Public Utilities) is exactly what ought to be done. It gets the line out of the political arena of Tacoma politics and puts it in the hands of the rail carrier, as it always ought to have been. While the city bought the line for it's "Train to the Mountain" pipe dream, that has never been its natural potential. The article completely ignores the fact that the line running to Rainier is only about 1/2 to 1/3 of the Mountain Division. The remainder is the old Milwaukeee Road route south to Chehalis & Centralia, WA, and part of Milwaukee's Puget Sound - Portland mainline during the 1970s. With all the changes in Tacoma's port -- the fastest growing port on the West coast -- what is needed is exactly what the Mountain Division will become -- a third main south, for eastbound BNSF and UP port traffic leaving Tacoma, bypassing the chokepoint of the Nelson Bennett tunnel and the soon to be busy Amtrak / Sounder junction at Nisqually. It will effectively make the Seattle Sub 3MT from Chehalis to Reservation in Tacoma. The I5 Corridor is already heavily congested and not getting any better. Considering the coming capacity crisis, $25m is going to look like a bargain.
Couldn't agree with you more, Tacoma never should have bought it in the first place and now that the City is so liberal in its political mindset, the best thing that could happen to the area is for Tacoma Rail to step up as quickly as possible and put the line to its best use. Let the rail saavy run the railroad and let the politicians get back to, how does the article put it, "the core purposes of the City."
