This is sad news. I sure wish there was a way we could bring this train back to Renton.
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Dinner train shuts down after move to Pierce County
By The Associated Press
TACOMA — After less than three months, a planned 10-month experiment with a dinner train transplanted from Renton to Tacoma has ended with the shutdown of Spirit of Washington Dinner Train service.
Dinner train owner Eric Temple says higher-than-anticipated costs coupled with lower-than-projected ticket sales doomed the train’s run in Pierce County.
The shutdown means about 50 employees will be laid off.
The last run was Sunday.
The city of Tacoma had a 10-month contract with the dinner train for use of the city-owned tracks.
The train operated successfully for 15 years from Renton to Woodinville along Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks along the east side of Lake Washington before a planned freeway expansion cut off the southern part of the rail route.
The dinner train moved to Tacoma Rail tracks in early August.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Train
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and riding the train when it was in Renton. I can’t believe that it is shutting down. I also can’t believe we lost the rail line to a bike / walking trail. Whatever happened to common sense. We could’ve keep the dinner train and had light rail to the east side.
Re: Train
I agree. This sickens me. See we should had never let it go. Nobody wanted the tracks out expect rich out of shape snobs to pretend to walk that flab off on the “trail”
OH NO!!! That is so sad!
We shoulda kept the damn thing. I’m already missing the old trestles that they’re updating; I liked the one-lane tunnels to get under the old rotting wood.
One more reason to vote against Mayor Kathy – she could have gone to bat for keeping the tracks open for the dinner train, but she remained silent. Some leader…
🙁
Yeh – if she would have put as much effort into saving the Dinner Train as she did for the Sonics, it would probably still be here…
Dinner Train
The dinner train is gone as koelker promised Eric Temple when she told him not to submit a prospal for the Pavillion Building. She told him that if submitted a proposal, she would get him!!!!!!!!!!! Well she got him and this whole community. She refused to help save the train, and threatened the city council when the intervened to try and save the train, but alas she had already made promises to get rid of the train!!!!!!!!!!!
What was Renton government thinking?????
Count me among the disappointed to see the dinner train’s demise. I am puzzled why the city did not fight to keep the rail lines open.
Keeping the rail lines open would have provided a future opportunity for light rail/mass transit/bus network on the Eastside, something sorely needed and long overdue.
Guess that isn’t important anymore, even with the gasoline prices edging toward the $4.00/gallon mark….