by Alex Garland

Seattle is a train town. Some might not hear the train’s horn or its rumble over the tracks, but it’s there, carrying our garbage, our food, and even the crude oil that still powers much of our lives. Walk out of Costco in SoDo, and you might see an oil train rumbling by; go to a Mariners or Seahawks game, and you might smell a hundred garbage cars on the rails. You might also cross the bridge over the tracks at Carkeek Park or wait as the crossing arms go down at Olympic Sculpture Park. With over 600 trains carrying hazardous materials running through our city every year, what keeps Seattle from experiencing a disaster like Lac Megantic, Quebec, or East Palestine, Ohio, or, most recently, on the Swinomish Reservation near Anacortes, Washington? So far, it’s been the work of rail safety experts and activists, safety-minded train crews, and a few federal safety regulations.