41-761: The Point Defiance Bypass (officially the Lakeview Subdivision ) is a 14.5-mile-long (23.3 km) rail line between the cities of DuPont and Tacoma in Pierce County , Washington . It was originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway – the Tacoma– Lakewood segment in 1874 as part of the Prairie Line, and the Lakewood–DuPont section in 1891. Passenger service on the lines declined after
82-757: A former UP line at Tacoma Dome Station , and Sounder commuter rail service to Lakewood began in October 2012. Construction on the Nisqually–Lakewood segment began in 2015 and was completed in late 2016. Testing of trains at full speeds of up to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h) was conducted from January 2017 to December 2017. The bypass is planned to carry twelve daily Amtrak trains on the Cascades and Coast Starlight . Sound Transit plans to extend Sounder commuter rail service to DuPont in 2036, with an additional station at Berkeley Street. On December 18, 2017, during
123-535: A freight easement. This sale was part of a larger, $ 32 million purchase of 21 miles of BNSF track between Tacoma and the Nisqually River (at the border between Pierce County and Thurston County ). WSDOT published a long-range plan for the Amtrak Cascades corridor in 2006, outlining a series of projects needed before reactivating passenger rail service on the line. The projects, known collectively as
164-824: A headquarters building, the Railroad and Bank Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota . In 1905, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was founded. Like the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, this new railroad was co-owned by the Great Northern and Northern Pacific and allowed both to access Portland via the Columbia River Gorge. Leaders attempted to merge another two times, in 1927 and 1955, but were unsuccessful. The four railroads were finally cleared to merge on March 2, 1970, after
205-681: A legal challenge that once again went to the Supreme Court. By that time, the GN's president was John M. Budd , the NP's president was Louis W. Menk , and the CB&;Q's president was William John Quinn . Under the leadership of Budd and Menk, the newly established holding company , Burlington Northern, Inc. purchased the four railroads and merged them into the Burlington Northern Railroad. Budd became
246-595: A new company, Burlington Resources in 1988. The railroad once again relocated its headquarters in 1988, moving from Seattle to Fort Worth, Texas . On September 22, 1995, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged with the Burlington Northern to create the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. However, the merger was not official until December 31, 1996, when a common dispatching system
287-678: Is still owned and operated to this day by the BNSF Railway under a purchase-of-service agreement with Metra . In May 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted , the BNR owned the land around the summit of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. In the 19th century, the United States government distributed land to railroads as a way to open up the American West and the 9,677-foot (2,950 m) peak was granted to
328-522: The North Coast Limited , Mainstreeter , Empire Builder , Western Star , Denver Zephyr , " Gopher ", and " International ", until Amtrak took over intercity passenger service in May 1971, thus becoming the last "new" Class I railroad to operate its own passenger trains. The BN also operated a commuter line inherited from the CB&Q from Aurora, Illinois to Chicago Union Station . This line
369-504: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway on December 31, 1996, to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (later renamed BNSF Railway ), which was owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation . That corporation was purchased in 2009 by Berkshire Hathaway , which is controlled by investor Warren Buffett . The Burlington Northern Railroad was the product of the merger of four major railroads:
410-581: The Burlington Northern Railway (BN) in 1970. In 1973, the BN increased clearances on the Point Defiance Line, allowing trains carrying Boeing aircraft parts to use that line. Long-distance freight service was removed from the Prairie Line, and it was abandoned south of Yelm in 1986. The Point Defiance Line, however, proved not to be ideal for Amtrak passenger service. Mudslides frequently closed
451-646: The Great Northern Railway (GN), the Northern Pacific Railway (NP), the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The four railroads shared a very intertwined history, due to the efforts of James J. Hill , the railroad tycoon who had founded the Great Northern Railway. Hill purchased an interest in the Northern Pacific in 1896 as
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#1732852543075492-523: The International Union of Railways in its official publications and thesaurus. Also Centering spring cylinder . Also Railway air brake . Also Main Reservoir and Reservoir . Also see Reverser handle . A metal casting incorporating a slot that allows the casting to fit over the rail near the wheel of a derailed car. The locomotive then pushes or pulls the car so that
533-509: The Nisqually River bridge, east of Lacey . The railway crosses over Interstate 5 and travels along the freeway's north side through DuPont and Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM). In Lakewood , it stops at a train station and turns north, merging with the Tacoma Rail mainline. Trains continue north through South Tacoma station and follow South Tacoma Way as it makes a gradual turn to
574-519: The Puget Sound shoreline that included single-track tunnels. It was opened for Amtrak service on December 18, 2017, but the first Cascades train derailed at speed on a bridge over Interstate 5 while traveling southbound near DuPont. Amtrak service was rerouted to the old line until passenger service resumed on November 18, 2021. The Point Defiance Bypass begins at a junction with the BNSF mainline near
615-695: The Tri-Cities , then northwest to Yakima, Washington , and crossed under the Cascade Range at Stampede Tunnel, descending to the Green River Valley at Auburn, Washington where it connected with existing NP lines from British Columbia to Portland, Oregon . The Spokane, Portland and Seattle ran southwest to the Tri-Cities, then followed the north bank of the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington . With
656-409: The 1914 completion of a flatter route along Puget Sound, and ended entirely in 1956. The route was identified as a passenger rail bypass in 1992. Sounder commuter rail service to Lakewood began in 2012. The $ 181.1 million improvement of the remaining section began construction in 2015 as part of general improvements to the Amtrak Cascades corridor to eliminate the slow and winding route along
697-628: The American Lake Branch. Most NP and UP passenger and freight service moved to the newer, flatter line. On August 8, 1943, the GN moved its remaining Seattle–Portland round trip to the Point Defiance Line, leaving only NP trains to Grays Harbor on the old line. Those trains were discontinued in February 1956, leaving the American Lake Branch and the Tacoma– Tenino section of the Prairie Line used only by freight service. The GN and NP were merged into
738-615: The Northern Pacific. It was inherited in the 1970 merger by Burlington Northern. Following the eruption the land including the volcano was subsequently transferred in a land swap between the railroad and the United States Forest Service so the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument could be established. On November 21, 1980, the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway was acquired, giving the railroad trackage as far south as Florida . In
779-778: The Point Defiance Bypass was then tentatively scheduled for 2020, after agreements with local officials and the arrival of new Talgo trainsets. Passenger service on the bypass resumed on November 18, 2021, following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic . [REDACTED] Media related to Point Defiance Bypass at Wikimedia Commons Rail line Rail transport terms are a form of technical terminology applied to railways. Although many terms are uniform across different nations and companies, they are by no means universal, with differences often originating from parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of
820-542: The Point Defiance Bypass, included rebuilding of tracks and ties, a new signal system, improvements to at-grade crossings, and a $ 230 million bridge to replace a viaduct crossing Interstate 5 on a tight curve near the Nisqually River . The project ultimately did not include the Nisqually bridge, which became the site of the 2017 derailment . The Point Defiance Bypass project underwent environmental review in 2006 and started final design in 2007. The $ 181 million project
861-617: The Prairie Line – part of its planned transcontinental mainline – through Yelm and Lakewood on January 5, 1874. On May 1, 1891, the NP-owned Tacoma, Olympia & Grays Harbor Railroad completed a 24.7-mile-long (39.8 km) branch of the Northern Pacific between Lakeview (near modern Lakewood) and Lacey , passing through the Fort Lewis military base. By 1914, the NP (plus the GN and UP under trackage rights ) operated 11 daily round trips over
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#1732852543075902-401: The Prairie Line, plus 3 daily round trips to Grays Harbor over the newer branch. Just south of Tacoma, the Prairie Line had a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) section of difficult 2.2% grade. In 1914, the NP opened the Point Defiance Line along the coast of Puget Sound and around Point Defiance . Part of the line to Grays Harbor was used by the new line; the section between DuPont and Lakewood became
943-534: The acquisition of the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway the route was extended into the South Central and Southeastern United States . Transport Statistics shows BN operated 23609 miles of line and 34691 miles of track at the end of 1970; it shows 4547 SLSF miles of line not including QA&P and AT&N. At the end of 1981 BN showed 27,374 miles (44,054 km) of line and 40,041 miles (64,440 km) of track. At
984-509: The company's first board chairman and CEO while Menk became the company's first president and COO. To further expand the Burlington Northern, a single track was constructed in 1972 into the Powder River Basin to serve various coal mines. The expansion was a source of traffic unprecedented in United States railroad history. In 1971, the first full year for the new railroad, trains carried 64,116 million revenue ton-miles of freight, by 1979
1025-639: The derailed wheel runs up the rerailer and back on to the track. Also see Extended Wagon Top Boiler . Also see Waist sheet . Also see Expansion knee . Also see Valve gear. Also see Grate Also see Train air signal apparatus. Also see Control system. Also Adhesion railway . Also Adhesion railway . Also see Hub. Also Adhesion railway . Also see Whistle stem. Also Coupler Yoke , Bell Yoke , Guide Yoke , Valve Yoke . Burlington Northern Railway The Burlington Northern Railroad ( reporting mark BN )
1066-575: The early 1980s two independently operated railroads, owned by Burlington Northern Inc. were absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad; the Colorado and Southern Railway was absorbed in 1981, followed by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in 1982. The railroad relocated its headquarters from Saint Paul to Seattle, Washington in 1981, as well as its parent company and sister companies. All of Burlington Northern, Inc's non-rail operations were spun off to
1107-695: The east. The bypass passes under State Route 16 and over Pacific Avenue while approaching Tacoma Dome Station . The railway travels over the Dome District area of Tacoma along a high trestle bridge and rejoins the BNSF mainline near the Puyallup River bridge. The project included the construction of five upgraded at-grade crossings and several grade-separated overpasses and underpasses along Interstate 5 in Dupont and near JBLM. The Northern Pacific Railway (NP) opened
1148-672: The establishment of the Northern Securities Company , a trust that controlled all three, with Hill serving as president. The company was sued in 1902 under the Sherman Antitrust Act and in 1904 the Justice Department won in the Supreme Court ruling Northern Securities Co. v. United States . Although the ruling forced the three companies to be operated independently, they were still closely linked, even sharing
1189-471: The inaugural southbound run of the Cascades on the Point Defiance Bypass, the train derailed while crossing Interstate 5 near the Nisqually River . Of the 84 people aboard (77 passengers and 7 employees) on board, 3 were killed. After the accident, which closed the bypass to Amtrak service, WSDOT announced that it would not resume service until the full implementation of positive train control (PTC). (Sounder service to Lakewood continued to operate.) Service
1230-575: The line, and the 1988 conversion of two tunnels to single track to further increase freight clearances limited capacity. In 1992, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) identified the American Lake Branch and the northern section of the Prairie Line as a potential alignment for a new Amtrak bypass of Point Defiance. In April 2003, the BNSF Railway (the successor to the BN) removed
1271-401: The railway endured a period of financial turmoil. Hill attempted to merge the two railways but was rebuffed by the leaders of the Northern Pacific. In 1901, the two railways teamed up to purchase nearly all shares of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, giving both a needed connection to Chicago, the nation's railroad hub. That same year, came the next attempt to merge the railroads with
Point Defiance Bypass - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-651: The remaining 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of the Prairie Line in Tacoma from service, thus allowing Sound Transit to build the Tacoma Link without an expensive level crossing. In return, Sound Transit funded repairs to the American Lake Branch for continued BNSF freight service to Fort Lewis, while Tacoma Rail took over freight service on the line in Tacoma. BNSF sold the Tacoma–Lakewood section to Sound Transit for commuter rail use in 2004 for $ 13.4 million, with BNSF retaining
1353-406: The routes continued northwest through Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota to Grand Forks, North Dakota . From Grand Forks the routes ran west through North Dakota , Montana , and Idaho to Spokane, Washington . The former GN routed through North Dakota/Northern Montana, crossing the continental divide at Marias Pass , while the former NP line routed through the southern part of Montana (which
1394-437: The time of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens the summit of the volcano that was blasted away was owned by Burlington Northern. Following the eruption, Burlington Northern agreed to a land swap with the U.S. government and exchanged its square mile (2.59 square kilometer ) of land on the mountain for national forest land elsewhere to allow for the creation of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to preserve
1435-532: The total was 135,004 million. Most of the increase was attributed to Powder River coal from Wyoming. The Burlington Northern, along with handling freight trains, briefly operated inter-city passenger trains. The BN had started operations just a matter of weeks before the end of service of the original California Zephyr , which had been operated by the CB&Q, in conjunction with the Denver and Rio Grande Western and Western Pacific railroads, and continued to operate
1476-735: The world, and in the national origins of the engineers and managers who built the inaugural rail infrastructure . An example is the term railroad , used (but not exclusively) in North America , and railway , generally used in English-speaking countries outside North America and by the International Union of Railways . In English-speaking countries outside the United Kingdom, a mixture of US and UK terms may exist. Various terms, both global and specific to individual countries, are listed here. The abbreviation "UIC" refers to terminology adopted by
1517-462: Was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroading with the chartering in 1848 of the Chicago and Aurora Railroad , a direct ancestor line of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , which lends Burlington to the names of various merger-produced successors. Burlington Northern acquired
1558-425: Was established, Santa Fe's non-union dispatchers were unionized and the implementation of Santa Fe's train identification codes systemwide. On January 24, 2005, the railroad shortened its name to BNSF Railway. The Burlington Northern traversed the most northerly routes of any railroad in the western United States. These routes started at Chicago, Illinois and ran west-northwest to La Crosse, Wisconsin . From here
1599-406: Was funded through transportation packages previously approved by the state legislature , as well as the federal stimulus package of 2009. Officials from Lakewood and DuPont voiced their concerns about safety and increased traffic congestion resulting from the bypass's construction, leading to concessions in the final design by the state. Construction began in 2009, with the northern end connected to
1640-480: Was spun off to Montana Rail Link in 1987), crossing the continental divide at Mullan and Homestake Passes . At Spokane the routes split into three. The former Great Northern route ran west to Wenatchee, Washington , crossed under the Cascade Range at New Cascade Tunnel on Stevens Pass , and descended to the Puget Sound region through Everett, Washington . The former Northern Pacific turned southwest towards
1681-465: Was then scheduled to restart in early 2019. The PTC system was fully installed by late 2018 and activated on the Point Defiance Bypass in March 2019. The National Transportation Safety Board presented its final report on the accident on May 21, 2019, with WSDOT issuing a subsequent statement that they would need time to analyze the report before resuming service on the line. The restoration of Amtrak service on