BNSF ceding rights to downtown line

The BNSF Railway Co. wants to abandon 2.12 miles of right-of-way in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

The rail line once served the Potlatch Mill that was located at the current site of the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course. BNSF wants to abandon the right-of-way that runs from City Park past the Coeur d’Alene Resort along Front Street to the golf course.

The public has until April 26 to object to the request, according to a press release by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

Coeur d’Alene City Attorney Mike Gridley said that BNSF is donating a portion of land at the corner of Seventh and Mullan for the new library. The city owns the rest of the property under the former rail line, much of which is now Front Street. He said the official abandonment is mostly a housekeeping matter.

BNSF plans to file a petition with the Department of Transportation’s Surface Transportation Board to speed up the abandonment process. The railroad must prove that no trains have used the line for two years and that there are no complaints about the lack of rail service.

To intervene, send written comments by accessing the PUC’s Web site at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on “comments and questions” and then fill in case number BNR-R-06-1.