Washington state seeks input on state-owned railways

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the movement of goods produced on Northwest farms, officials are asking for input from eastern Washington citizens, businesses and communities to help make state-owned rail lines better.

 

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will seek the insights of farmers, rail-industry experts, regular citizens and anyone in between at three planning workshops this fall. WSDOT will host the workshops in Ephrata on October 30, Spokane on November 13 and Clarkston on December 9.

Among others, WSDOT hopes to explore two important questions at the workshops: What improvements are needed on state-owned rail lines in eastern Washington to enhance farm-to-market commodity movement? And, What operational changes can be made to improve the value of these rail lines to eastern Washington shippers and producers?

WSDOT planning staff will consider infrastructural and operational challenges as they develop the Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC) Rail System Strategic Plan for the system. The strategic plan will be developed in partnership with the PCC Rail Authority.

The 297-mile PCC rail line consists of three branch lines that carry freight through four eastern Washington counties. Shippers in Spokane, Lincoln, Grant and Whitman counties distribute commodities across the rail system to and from the hubs of cross-country railroads. Last year, the PCC rail system carried 20 percent of state-grown wheat, while reducing 37,000 truckloads from Washington state roadways.

 

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