(Contact: Bruce Agnew, Director, Cascadia Center For Regional Development, 206-228-4011). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Retired BNSF Operations Director Read Fay did an on-site visual inspection of the 42-mile long BNSF Eastside rail line between October 1st and November 16th, 2007 for the Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center to determine the capability of the line to support a safe commuter rail operation at a Read More ›
SEATTLE, Wash. (November 21, 2007)—The Cascadia Center at Discovery Institute, a regional think tank that focuses on transportation and sustainable development for the Puget Sound region, announced today that an independent study shows that the Eastside Rail Corridor can support interurban rail. Cascadia will unveil the full results of the study on Monday, November 26, 2007, at a community forum Read More ›
The Seattle region is blessed with a tremendous natural endowment which doubles as a crucial piece of transportation infrastructure – Puget Sound. State and Pierce County car ferries already ply the Sound, as do a mix of public and commercial, privately-operated passenger-only vessels in King, Snohomish, Whatcom and San Juan counties. For the Puget Sound region, passenger-only ferries on the Read More ›
Written Testimony To King County Council On Draft Operational Plan For King County Passenger-Only Ferry District, from Cascadia Center For Regional Development, Seattle. Contact: Matt Rosenberg, Senior Fellow, mattr@discovery.org. Nov. 13, 2007. (Cascadia also provided in-person testimony at a Nov. 8th public hearing). INTRODUCTION This testimony is in response to the King County Ferry Districts draft operational plan published Nov. Read More ›
(Last updated Dec. 3, 2007) Indexed below are selected news and opinion articles on Puget Sound regional transportation, following the defeat of Prop. 1 on Nov. 6, with links, from least recent to most recent. They are preceeded by a link to Cascadia Center’s Transportation Action Plan for Puget Sound. CASCADIA CENTER’S TRANSPORTATION ACTION PLAN FOR PUGET SOUND Transportation Action Read More ›
Discovery Institute Fellow Bruce Agnew was interviewed on KOMO-AM 1000 about the Eastside Rail Proposal on November 8, 2007. Here is the MP3 audio file of interview. RELATED OP-EDS FROM CASCADIA CENTER Preserve Eastside Rail Line For Snohomish Transit Link, Bruce Agnew, Seattle Times, Oct. 31, 2007 Rails And Trails Could Easily Co-exist On Eastside, Bruce Agnew, Puget Sound Business Read More ›
This article, published by Puget Sound Business Journal, quotes Discovery Institute Fellow Bruce Agnew: Bruce Agnew, director of Cascadia Center at Discovery Institute, in Seattle, which has studied the corridor extensively, said it was clear the track would be removed. “To take up 31 miles of perfectly usable track is reprehensible,” he said. The rest of the article can be found Read More ›
Bruce Agnew, Director of Cascadia Center at Discovery Institute, just released the statement below regarding todays news that the Port of Seattle will acquire the BNSF rail corridor. Media calls may be directed directly to Bruce Agnew on this issue at 206.228.4011. OFFICIAL STATEMENT: BRUCE AGNEW, CASCADIA CENTER AT DISCOVERY INSTITUTE The idea of having public employees excise and remove Read More ›
There’s no finer experience than taking your family on a crisp, sunny, fall adventure along the Centennial Trail. Stretching from Snohomish to Arlington and framed by the resplendent Cascades and quiet Machias, the red and yellow trees and clean air remind us why we endure the gray skies and light rain of Puget Sound’s winter. Now we have an opportunity Read More ›
In his new 2008 budget, King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed a property tax hike of 5 cents per $100,000 assessed valuation to fund a King County passenger-only ferry district. Gregory Roberts reports in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer: A 5-cent tax would cost $20 a year for the owner of a $400,000 home; Sims will send a specific proposal to Read More ›
With the Port of Seattle poised to buy the abandoned 42-mile Eastside rail line from Burlington Northern and Sante Fe, a proposal championed by Cascadia Center and others for Eastside commuter rail is gaining steam. Cascadia held two community forums in January, in Kirkland and Snohomish. A Cascadia report on those events, including contact information for public officials who can Read More ›
A flurry of developments suggests passenger-only ferries are gaining momentum in Puget Sound. In recent months there have been seven routes in operation: the state’s Vashon Island to downtown Seattle run; King County’s West Seattle to downtown Seattle water taxi; Kitsap Transit’s Port Orchard to Bremerton foot ferry; and four longer, privately operated routes to the San Juan Islands and Read More ›