Seattle port postpones rail acquisition

The Port of Seattle is postponing the acquisition of the BNSF Eastside Rail Corridor because of the continuing difficulty of raising capital in the nation's bond markets.
The Port intends to issue municipal bonds to finance the $107 million purchase price of the rail corridor.
The sale was originally expected to close in December 2008, but the transaction was postponed after the collapse of the credit markets.
“The Port remains committed to public ownership for the corridor. But no one could have foreseen the continued turmoil in the credit markets,” said Tay Yoshitani, CEO of the port. "The port appreciates the railroad's cooperation and support for our efforts to preserve the corridor for the public's benefit."
A further reason for delay is that the federal Surface Transportation Board has yet to complete its review of the acquisition. The sale cannot close before the STB issues its approval.
In November 2007, the Port of Seattle announced final plans to acquire the 42-mile rail corridor between Snohomish and Renton.
King County will contribute $2 million for an easement to develop a trail along the property. Once the deal is final, the port will host a public process to determine how the corridor will be used for both transportation and recreation in the future.

Source: http://www.joc.com