Stampede Pass Improvements
The Stampede Pass crossing is critical to maintaining Washington’s economic competitiveness. Pacific Rim trade requires continuous movement of high volumes of double-stacked trains from the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma east through the Cascades for transcontinental rail distribution to the mid-west and east.
There are three east/west corridors in our region: Stevens Pass, Columbia Gorge and Stampede Pass. The Stevens Pass corridor is at full capacity. The Columbia Gorge corridor will hit capacity in the next few years.
Expanding Stampede Pass could provide a 50% increase in regional freight mobility over the next couple of decades.
Governor Christine Gregoire has stepped-up with a proposed $25 million dollar investment to help renovate Stampede Pass to allow double-stacked rail cars through the tunnel. The State's investment will maximize investment of over $250 million already made by BNSF in Stampede Pass improvements on the corridor from Auburn to Ellensburg.
Stampede Pass
- Too low for double-stacked rail cars.
- A key east/west freight mobility choke point through the Cascade mountains.
- Cannot currently meet regional and state needs for moving projected volume of freight container trains.
- Governor Gregoire’s proposed investment of $25 million will help increase freight mobility.
Related information
- News release
- Executive Sims talking points
- Connection for our future Web site
- Map of trials and rail corridor
- Memorandum of Understanding I
- Memorandum of Understanding II
- Map of trials and rail corridor
- King County, Port of Seattle in major land deal, Oct. 25, 2006
- Watch the press conference from Oct. 25, 2006
- Executive Sims talking points from the press conference
- King County Rail Corridor Preservation
- Rail corridor photo slideshow, Planned Eastside Trail Corridor
- Rail lines and regional trails map (PDF, 761K)