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Lakewood man leads fight against Amtrak line

The Columbian
Published: September 11, 2011, 5:00pm

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — A man opposing plans for a high-speed Amtrak line through Lakewood is collecting signatures for a city initiative.

But state officials tell The Tacoma News Tribune (http://bit.ly/nAxKXE ) that it’s not clear how much of an impact David Anderson’s planned ballot measure would have.

As part of a $91 million federal grant, the state Department of Transportation plans to divert trains from the Amtrak Cascades service off the freight line to another that cuts through Lakewood.

Lakewood leaders and residents have expressed their concerns, saying that a train moving as fast as 79 miles per hour will travel through neighborhoods.

WSDOT manager of high-speed rail Ron Pate says it’s too early to know if the state needs permission from the city. The project is on the environmental impact study stage.

The initiative would restrict the city from entering any agreement with the state on the proposed project. Anderson needs to collect 5,300 signatures by December to qualify for the special election in May.

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