No. The nominal ten minutes saved is only one goal. More important is moving all passenger trains off the tracks that run along Puget Sound but that get into Tacoma via a single-track tunnel that creates a daily bottleneck. Both from BNSF's standpoint (less delay for the many freights, including the UPRR trains that use BNSF from Tacoma to Portland, OR) and WA Dept. of Transportation' standpoint (less passenger train delays and a greater likelihood of maintaining schedules, which helps convince potential passengers that taking the train instead of Greyhound's Bolt Bus is a good choice) the Bypass project makes excellent sense.

Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland is not only constantly crowded, it is a critical link through the Pacific NW that has almost zero highway alternatives if it is blocked. The state of Washington is doing a pretty darn good job in trying to offer rail as an alternative form of transportation, and has worked well with BNSF to make it happen.

The Bypass track is owned by a local transit agency. It is unfortunate that PTC has not quite been completed on that line, but as you should know, PTC's implementation across the U.S. has been expensive, technologically difficult, and slowed by FCC stubbornness and vendor issues. The completion of various portions of PTC has been spotty at best, nationwide, but it needs to be said that BNSF has been a leader in getting it done.