High Speed Amtrak Trains Coming To Lakewood Soon

LAKEWOOD, WA - City officials are concerned about a new route for high-speed Amtrak trains that will bring them through the city. WSDOT gave a presentation Monday night in Lakewood about the new, faster route for Amtrak trains that will go into effect Dec. 18.

The new route will move trains off the BNSF line that runs along Puget Sound and onto tracks used by Sounder trains. The reroute will allow Amtrak trains to run at top speeds of 79 MPH, according to WSDOT, shaving about 10 minutes off the Portland-Seattle route. Using the BNSF lines, Amtrak trains have to slow down for single-track tunnels and curves.

KOMO news reported that Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson is concerned the route will bring the speeding trains too close to pedestrians and cars. With the reroute, the Amtrak trains will be crossing major intersections like Bridgeport Way and 100th Street Southwest, among others.

“Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens,” KOMO quoted Anderson saying.

View WSDOT's project page for faster train service through Lakewood

The improvements in Lakewood are part of a larger regional project that will allow Amtrak trains to bypass Point Defiance. The trains will run along I-5 between DuPont and Fife rather than running along Puget Sound. In July, an Amtrak train derailed in Steilacoom along the BNSF tracks.

As part of the upgrades, the tracks will get positive train control systems, a new safety technology that can slow or stop trains going too fast.

Image courtesy Amtrak