Editing Ron Sims (section)

===Rails to trails proposal===
{{See also|Woodinville Subdivision}}
On May 16, 2005, Sims announced a controversial plan to purchase the {{convert|47|mi|km|adj=on}} Woodinville Subdivision railroad that runs through the east King County roughly parallel to [[Interstate 405 (Washington)|Interstate 405]] and replace most of its track with a bicycle trail.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20060520050747/http://dnr.metrokc.gov/dnrp/pa/bnsf/fact-sheet.htm Facts on King County’s Efforts to Save the
BNSF Eastside Rail Corridor</ref>  Although there is support for  purchasing the railroad in order to prevent its current owner, [[BNSF Railway]], from selling off the right of way piecemeal, the plan to remove the tracks has raised concerns from rail transportation advocates, environmental groups, and the owners, employees and customers of the popular Spirit of Washington dinner train (which ran on the tracks). It has also resulted in the formation of a [[grassroots]] movement, Eastside Rail Now!, which is aimed at stopping the removal of the tracks and at using them to begin a rail transit service in addition to their current freight and dinner train functions. In 2007, the [[Port of Seattle]], King County, and BNSF signed a preliminary agreement in which the Port would purchase the rail line from BNSF and then exchange the line plus $66 million to pay for removal of the tracks and replacement by a bicycle trail for [[Boeing Field]]<ref>[http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/02/26/daily5.html Seattle BizJournals: County, port and railroad sign preliminary land-exchange deal]</ref>