Commuter rail was a major topic of discussion last summer during a joint meeting of the Black Diamond, Covington and Maple Valley city councils and the idea took root according to Maple Valley Interim City Manager Christy Todd.

Todd explained the concept of diesel, multiple-unit rail (DMU) during a presentation Jan. 21 at the Maple Valley/Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce meeting.

“This idea was first floated at our joint meeting,” Todd said. “It generated a lot of excitement.”

As a result of the interest from that meeting a committee of city staff members and elected officials formed a committee to work on and promote the concept.

“It’s a self propelled passenger train,” Todd said. “The idea is that you could get on a train here in Maple Valley or at a station in Covington and you could get off in Auburn and get on the Sounder.”

This is not light rail and it’s not a locomotive, Todd explained, but it could use the existing freight rail line which is owned by Burlington Northern-Sante Fe.

Plus being diesel fueled the cars could run on biodiesel, so it would be green, thus creating “less pollution, noise and fuel consumption than a locomotive.”

Another critical issue that cuts to the heart of the reason behind the concept is to make commuting easier for residents of all three cities, which all are still bedroom communities.

With YarrowBay planning to develop large swaths of real estate in Maple Valley and Black Diamond in the next decade it is critical to all three cities to find alternative ways for future and current residents to get around.

“We have to try and plan smart for growth,” Todd said. “We want to find ways to take the pressure off our road ways. It will help alleviate traffic congestion, parking issues (at area park and rides) and so forth. And getting people out of their cars is green and environmentally friendly.”

Covington City Manager Derek Matheson said his city is also behind the concept as part of an overall focus on transportation.

“From a Covington perspective, this DMU study is on our legislative priorities but it’s not our top priority,” Matheson said. “We view DMU not only as a transportation solution but also as an economic development solution. These rail stations could be focal points for downtown development.”

Covington Councilman Wayne Snoey is particularly enthusiastic about the DMU concept and is part of the committee of staff members and elected officials to push it forward.

“The transportation centers in Auburn, Kent and Tukwila are overflowing,” Snoey said. “The reality is that a lot of those vehicles are coming from this area. We need the transit centers even if DMU doesn’t exist.”

This idea is still in its infancy and the next step, Todd said, is to find money for a feasibility study that would figure out how much it would cost, how the DMUs would share track with existing freight runs, who would own and operate the commuter line, among other details.

Gwendolyn Voelpel, Black Diamond City Administrator, said it’s good to think of this as being 10 years out.

“The feasibility study should answer all of the questions (chamber members were) asking, all of the same questions we have,” Voelpel said.

At this point, the cities are seeking $600,000, and have put in requests to the state legislature. Maple Valley officials also submitted a funding request to the federal government for cash from the proposed $800 billion economic stimulus package, though it is doubtful money will come out of that, the idea is to at least get it on the fed’s radar.

Todd pointed to a brand new DMU line that connects the western Portland suburbs of Beaverton, Tigart and Tualatin, to the metro area.

Like the proposed DMU line here, the project in Oregon runs on about 14 miles of existing freight track, and was developed through a partnership of cities that would be served by the commuter line.

“The price tag was $117 million, which is not cheap, but I think compared to $600 million to fix SR 169 it’s not bad,” Todd said. “Down in Portland they took about 10 years from idea to implementation stage. I view this as a long term effort and a long term partnership.”

Known as the WES line, the project in Portland is owned and operated by TriMet, which provides multiple rapid transit options for the greater Portland area.

Full funding for the WES was obtained in 2006, construction began in May 2008, and the rail line opened Feb. 2. According to TriMet’s Web site for the project, the transportation organization is expecting 3,000 to 4,000 riders a day by 2020, with about half of those riders new to public transit.

Once money is obtained for the feasibility study, it could take about a year to complete the study, according to Anthony Hemstad who is serving as a consultant and lobbyist for Maple Valley on the DMU concept.

“It’s a real logical thing to be looking at, especially the model we’re looking at,” Hemstad said. “They’re cheap to drop down and get going. It is too early to say what the exact cost may be. That’s why we need the feasibility study. For the last 20 years this part of the county has been an afterthought for road transportation so let’s not be an afterthought in rail.”