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You are here: Home   Leavenworth Train Station

Leavenworth Train Station
Leavenworth, Washington State

This page is designed as a source of information regarding train service into Leavenworth Washington.  Please check http://www.iciclestation.com for current information and pictures!

News:

• December 17, 2007 - Congress approves Omnibus Appropriation Bill - Senator Patty Murray includes $294,000 appropriation for Icicle Station - Press Release

• November 2007 - HNTB Engineering Firm of Bellevue was selected to design the train platform on North Road.  Rob Eaton, spearheading the Icicle Station project, expects to have final designs on the project by year end with construction starting during the 2008 construction season.  The hope is the have the station open by fall 2008.

• 2007 - $300,000 for the Icicle Station was included in a funding request by Senator Patty Murray for transportation and community development projects in North Central Washington.

• 2007 - The city of Leavenworth reached and agreement with Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe to provide passenger rail to Leavenworth along the Empire Builder route.  Upon completion, Icicle Station will provide service to Leavenworth from all destinations between Seattle and Chicago.

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  DATE: February 8, 2007
  CONTACT: Rob Eaton, 669-6441. Rich Brinkman, 548-5275.
  
  ICICLE STATION PROJECT RECEIVES CRITICAL NODS OF APPROVAL
  
  The City of Leavenworth has been anxiously awaiting a response from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway and Amtrak for several months on the proposed Icicle Station project that would bring daily passenger rail service to Washington’s ‘Bavarian Village.’
  
  The wait is over.
  
  BNSF recently sent a letter to the City approving of the economic development project subject to several conditions that City officials have been evaluating while awaiting word from Amtrak. The BNSF letter was followed yesterday by Amtrak’s formal approval for daily service to Leavenworth on the Empire Builder route.
  
  “These announcements from BNSF and Amtrak are just incredible,” said Councilmember Rob Eaton, who initiated the project four years ago and has spearheaded it since. “I am very excited to move forward with the City Council, Amtrak, BNSF, and our regional and state partners to realize this tremendous opportunity for the Leavenworth community.”
  
  The most notable of the BNSF conditions on project approval includes the City’s acknowledgement that BNSF may eventually eliminate passenger rail service on the Stevens Pass line. The letter also requested that the City and Amtrak, even though the City does not play a role in the independent negotiations between BNSF, Amtrak, and a private tour company for snow train operations, agree that the daily passenger service to Leavenworth would eliminate the need for the annual snow trains. BNSF would, however, consider snow train requests on an annual basis based on capacity constraints.
  
  The City Council will discuss the BNSF and Amtrak decisions at their February 13 meeting. “We will continue to deliberately weigh the potential impacts of these conditions, but I am confident that the City will effectively work through them toward this enormous community benefit,” said Eaton.
  
  Eaton points out that the migration of passenger rail to Stampede Pass would require a significant capital investment on the part of BNSF and the State of Washington to provide the required signalization in what is currently referred to as ‘dark territory.’ The City’s understanding is that BNSF signalization of Stampede Pass would not likely occur in the next 10-15 years, and would be influenced by a variety of factors. Further, there is a possibility that the signalization won’t occur at all.
  
  “We certainly do not wish to pursue an Icicle Station investment of up to $1 million without being assured of a substantial return on that investment,” said Eaton. “From working on this project over the past four years, I am very confident that Icicle Station would operate for at least 10-15 years, and even as long as 20-30 years, if not longer, with the return to the community significant.” A comparative Amtrak station in Whitefish Montana generates a $5.7 million annual impact to the Whitefish community.
  
  Leavenworth Mayor Mel Wyles was also thrilled by the news, saying that he “could not be more pleased,” not only by the BNSF and Amtrak decisions, but by the “tireless work of Councilmember Eaton to reach this huge milestone.” Mayor Wyles also emphasized the benefit daily service would provide to local residents needing to travel over the mountain passes during the winter months.
  
  As Eaton prepares to address the City Council with the Mayor and Staff, he reiterates his confidence in the projected annual economic impact to Leavenworth based on current Amtrak Empire Builder ridership, the parallel example of Amtrak service to Whitefish Montana, and the considerable interest the project has generated, even if the passenger service terminates in 10-15 years. “The marketing possibilities and potential partnerships are virtually endless,” he said.
  
  To date, a little over $210,000 has been raised for the project, an amount that would be greatly augmented if the City is awarded a pending Regional Mobility grant. The total cost of the project is estimated to be between $750,000 and $1 million.

Taking the train to Leavenworth now:

The Amtrak Empire Builder has daily service into Wenatchee 24 miles southeast from Leavenworth.  Due to the early departure hours and late arrival hours, there is no public transit that accommodates the schedule which makes it a little tricky to get to Leavenworth from the Wenatchee station without taking a taxi cab.

During other hours, patrons may take Link Transit ($1) from the Wenatchee station into Leavenworth.  The trip on Link may take about two hours.

Download Empire Builder timetables here in PDF format: Empire Builder

More information on purchasing tickets, etc is available at: http://www.amtrak.com

Wenatchee Station, WA (WEN):
Kittitas & South Columbia Sts.
Bus stop (Columbia Station) is adjacent to platform
Wenatchee, WA 98801
 

Leavenworth Bus Stop, WA (LEV)
Hwy 2 and 12th St.
Link Transit Park & Ride
Leavenworth, WA 98826

Leavenworth Shuttle and Taxi is now available on-call at 509-548-7433 and will pick up at Wenatchee Station.

All Link routes operate Monday through Saturday, with the exception of SkiLink in the winter. Currently, there is no Sunday service, and no service on major holidays. Contact Guest Services at 509-662-1155 for more information.

Alki Tours offers a special Christmas Lighting Train 1-800-895-2554