This was Sound Transit's "track to the future" for its south line commuter trains between Seattle and Tacoma.

The view, looking north at SW 50th Street in South Tacoma, shows the ROW reconstruction underway to extend "Sounder" service from downtown Tacoma to Lakewood.

This was part of the segment that crews rebuilt the ROW from SW M Street, at the north end of the "Nalley Valley" industrial area along the former NP Prairie Line, south to the Lakewood Transit Center.

The track on the left is the former through track, used by Tacoma Rail freights to serve industries in the valley. Several customers along the route had their rail access temporarily suspended while the ROW was completely rebuilt.

North from M Street, the ROW rebuilding included a new connection between the former NP line and the former MILW South Tacoma line, currently Tacoma Rail's Mountain Division.

Sound Transit opened its service extension in November 2012.

Reconstructing the line south from Lakewood through Dupont to the BNSF connection at Nisqually is currently underway and will provide Amtrak a bypass around the Point Defiance tunnels for its "Cascades" trains.

This line was once Northern Pacific's main line from Portland to Tacoma. Its South Tacoma shops were located just to the west of the photo location.

Photographed by Thomas McCann, October 30, 2009.
Added to the photo archive by Thomas McCann, November 9, 2009.
Railroad: Sounder.

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