The Eastside Rail Corridor, officially Eastrail, is a rail

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

where a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

has been under development in the Eastside suburbs of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The corridor follows the path of the former

Woodinville Subdivision The Woodinville Subdivision was a railroad line that was formerly owned by BNSF Railway. It takes its name from one of its original end points in Woodinville, Washington, United States. The line extended approximately in east King County and Snoh ...

from Renton to the City of Snohomish at Snohomish Junction.

History

Acquisition

In the 2000s,

Sound Transit Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It manages the Link light rail system in Se ...

studied plans to reactivate the Woodinville Subdivision for regular

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

service between Snohomish and Renton, but ultimately did not include it in any funding or expansion packages. The

Port of Seattle The Port of Seattle is a public agency that is in King County, Washington. It oversees the seaport of Seattle as well as Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to ...

acquired the right of way of the former Woodinville Subdivision from

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

through purchase and donation in 2008. On December 10, 2012, the

King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is ...

approved purchase of of the right-of-way from Port of Seattle. A portion of the central corridor, named the

Cross Kirkland Corridor Cross Kirkland Corridor is a rail trail and linear park in the city of Kirkland, Washington, Kirkland, Washington (state), Washington. It is Kirkland's segment of the multi-city Eastside Rail Corridor on the Eastside (King County, Washington), E ...

, is owned by the City of Kirkland; a spur to Redmond, named the

Redmond Central Connector The Redmond Central Connector is a paved rail trail and linear park in Redmond, Washington. It is a spur of the Eastside Rail Corridor, connecting the main Eastrail to downtown Redmond. The trail features art made from railroad tracks and signa ...

, is owned by the City of Redmond; a portion in downtown Bellevue was purchased by

, and a northern portion of the corridor remains Port property for dual use as a trail and freight line. Some state residents brought suit against the Port of Seattle because the purchase was not used for freight in its entirety. In 2016, Snohomish County acquired the right of way from the King–Snohomish County line at Woodinville north to the city of Snohomish.

Opening

In January, 2015, the Kirkland portion of the Eastside Rail Corridor, with compacted gravel surfacing, opened for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Kirkland–Bellevue section was opened in July 2018, connecting State Route 520 (and its bike trail) to the

Spring District The Spring District is a transit-oriented development and neighborhood that is under construction in Bellevue, Washington. The 16-block, development is centered around the Spring District station on the East Link Extension (Sound Transit), East ...

. It was christened as Eastrail on July 20, 2019.

Eastside Greenway Alliance

In January 2016, community leaders gathered in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

, for a one day summit about transforming the Eastside Rail Corridor into a multi-use trail. Prior to the meeting, planning and construction of various corridor segments had been underway for years. The group envisioned a partnership of established and reputable regional and national nonprofits to collectively advocate for the trail. The Alliance would initially be co-led by Cascade Bicycle Club and The Trust for Public Land.

Cities and connections

Cities through which the corridor passes include: *Renton *Newcastle *Bellevue *Kirkland () *Redmond (

) *Woodinville *Snohomish

Trail connections

If constructed as proposed by King County, these other trails would or could link to the Eastside Rail Corridor: * Burke-Gilman Trail /

Sammamish River Trail The Sammamish River Trail is a recreational pedestrian and bike path rail trail in King County, Washington that runs along the Sammamish River from Blyth Park in Bothell to Marymoor Park in Redmond as part of the “Locks to Lakes Corridor.� ...

East Lake Sammamish Trail The East Lake Sammamish Trail is an recreational rail trail in King County, Washington that runs along Lake Sammamish from Marymoor Park in Redmond, through Sammamish, to Gilman Boulevard in Issaquah. History The trail had initially encoun ...

* Cedar River Trail * Soos Creek Trail * Snoqualmie Valley Trail *

Green River Trail The Green River Trail is a pedestrian and bicycle trail in King County, Washington, USA. It runs along the banks of the Duwamish and Green Rivers, crossing the river several times on bridges.Interurban Trail *

Snohomish County Centennial Trail The Snohomish County Centennial Trail is a rail trail in Snohomish County, Washington, connecting the cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the ...

*Lake-to-Lake Trail (Bellevue) *Lake-to-Sound Trail (Renton to Des Moines) * Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail (I-90) * State Route 520 Trail * Tolt Pipeline Trail *Bear Creek Trail (Redmond)

Railroad ownership

BNSF sold the running rights to Tom Payne, GNP Railway, between Woodinville and Snohomish in conjunction with the sale to the Port of Seattle. GNP's partner,

Ballard Terminal Railroad The Ballard Terminal Railroad Company LLC operates two Class III short line railroad, short line terminal railroads in western Washington (state), Washington, United States. Founded in 1997 to operate a three-mile spur through Seattle's Ballard ...

, took over freight operations from

in January 2010. By 2011 Ballard Terminal Railroad was filing with other creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for an involuntary reorganization of GNP. A short line

terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It gener ...

operating in Seattle, the

, filed suit in the

US District Court for the Western District of Washington US or Us most often refers to: * ''Us'' (pronoun), the objective case of the English first-person plural pronoun ''we'' * US, an abbreviation for the United States US, U.S., Us, us, or u.s. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Albums * ...

and petitioned the

Surface Transportation Board The Surface Transportation Board (STB) of the United States is an independent federal agency that serves as an adjudicatory board. The board was created in 1996 following the abolition of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and absorbed regula ...

on April 1, 2013, seeking to prevent the City of Kirkland from removing the rail tracks for the planned trail. The Ballard Terminal Railroad wanted to keep the tracks intact for future rail freight use. On May 3, 2013, Federal District Court Judge Marsha Pechman granted the City of Kirkland's motion to dismiss the case filed by Ballard Terminal Railroad Company seeking to prevent rail salvage on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. In her oral ruling, Judge Pechman stated the Federal District Court did not have jurisdiction to consider Ballard's temporary restraining order (TRO) and that the Surface Transportation Board was the proper forum for adjudicating Ballard's claims. On August 1, 2013, the Surface Transportation Board denied the request by Ballard Terminal Railroad Company to block rail removal along the Cross Kirkland Corridor.

References

External links

Official siteEastside Greenway Alliance
coalition of non-profits advocating for the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail
Eastside Rail Corridor
at King County government website
Eastside Trail AdvocatesEastside Rail Now
{{Rail trails in Washington Rail trails in Washington (state) Geography of King County, Washington Transportation in King County, Washington