Oct. 21, 2009
Docket Number: TR-090121

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A state administrative law judge today recommended the closing of a Snohomish County railroad crossing near Stanwood.

However, in his initial order issued today, Administrative Law Judge Adam Torem of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) recommended that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Co. (BNSF) be required to make safety improvements to two nearby railroad crossings before closing the Logen Road railroad crossing.

The required safety conditions to be completed and paid for by BNSF and Snohomish County include:
· Making road improvements at the 300th Street N.W. railroad crossing.
· Installing new signal lights and pavement markings and increasing signs at the 271st St. N.W. crossing.

Parties in the case have 20 calendar days to request administrative review with the UTC. The final decision rests with the three-member commission, which could decide to approve, modify or reject the judge’s recommendation. If any party appeals the judge’s decision, the commission would be expected to rule in the next several months. Without an appeal, the judge’s decision becomes final in 20 days.

BNSF originally filed a petition with the UTC to close the Logen Road crossing Jan. 22. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is constructing a new Amtrak station in Stanwood. WSDOT also is building an extension of an existing siding in the area – a second track where trains pull off the mainline to wait for another train to go pass.

Freight trains would typically pause on the siding for periods of five to 10 minutes to meet and pass passenger trains. Sometimes the trains could remain parked and block the Logen Road crossing for several hours. This could pose safety concerns because drivers could be delayed for long periods of time.

“The Logen Road crossing is as inherently dangerous as any other grade crossing and, due to its location along a curve in the tracks, perhaps even more hazardous,” said Torem. “Adding the siding tracks will magnify the potential dangers by obstructing motorists’ vision as they approach the crossing and also cause confusion on the regular occasions where a train blocks the crossing for appreciable lengths of time.”

The siding track could reduce long delays for passenger and freight trains that use the same BNSF tracks. WSDOT supports BNSF’s petition as a way to improve Amtrak and freight-train service between the high-speed rail corridor of Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, Canada.
Current daily train traffic through Stanwood is four Amtrak passenger and about 10 freight trains.

There are about 2,700 public crossings in Washington, all of which are inspected at least once every three years. There are also nearly 3,000 private crossings that are not under the commission’s jurisdiction.

The UTC is the state agency responsible for railroad safety, including approving new grade crossings and closing or altering existing rail crossings. The agency investigates train accidents, inspects public-railroad crossings, teaches public-education classes and approves rail-safety improvement projects in Washington.