Council gives tepid train support

Blaine city council gave unanimous but lukewarm endorsement to Senator Georgia Gardner’s drive to restore passenger rail service to Blaine.

While voting to approve the resolution supporting Gardner’s efforts, mayor Dieter Schugt also defended his cooperation with the city of White Rock in getting a second Seattle train that now ends its run in Bellingham to stop in White Rock and continue to Vancouver. “That second train will never go beyond Bellingham until the B.C. government spends the money to fix that bridge going into Vancouver,” Schugt said, adding White Rock’s preliminary deal with Amtrak could put pressure on B.C. to act. “We need to take steps in order, and maybe White Rock is the first step,” said council member Bonnie Onyon.

Schugt also said he felt there were higher priorities for the community than a train stop. “My highest priority is a sewage treatment plant and I’d like to get her on board for that,” he said.

“I see this resolution not so much as a train issue but as an issue of not tweaking Georgia’s nose,” said Ken Ely. “If we want her to be enthusiastic about sewer plants, maybe we need to be enthusiastic about trains.”

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