Trains invoke nostalgic feelings for many people, and in many instances can be an environmentally superior alternative to other forms of transportation. However, the images surrounding the northern portion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) are neither romantic nor are they environmentally sound. Instead, the history of the NWP is one of constant closures, derailments, toxic spills, serious damage to fisheries and wildlife, and even human deaths. In 1998, unsafe conditions along the entire length of the track caused it to become the first and only railroad officially closed by the Federal Railroad Authority.

State officials are now attempting to reconstruct the railroad, including areas through the Eel River Canyon and Russian River Canyon, in a project that would cost taxpayers tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. While the monetary price of reconstruction would be astronomical, the ecological costs cannot even be calculated. For the reasons discussed here and in the Ten Terrible Truths Behind the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (found below), EPIC believes reconstructing the railroad would result in an environmental and economic disaster. EPIC further believes the history of the NWP makes it abundantly clear that it is not a viable transportation alternative, and that we should bring this train to the end of its line once and for all.