Port of Pend Oreille awarded $1M for Rail Rehabilitation Project

PEND OREILLE COUNTY, Wash. – The Port of Pend Oreille has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board’s Rural Ports Program. This funding will support the POVA Rail Phase 1 Rehabilitation Project.

The project aims to restore rail infrastructure along the Pend Oreille Valley corridor to provide for rail passenger service. Five miles of track between Usk and Cusick, along with the Birdhouse Crossing at Highway 20, will be repaired.

To this point, the project funding has risen to $1.25 million, includeing $220,000 in matching funds from the non-taxing Port district, and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission provided a $25,000 safety grant.

Port Commissioner Kim Gentle said “This funding is an important step to turning our vision of heritage rail tourism into reality, creating jobs, attracting visitors, and diversifying our economy.”

Officials believe the project will foster a partnership between the Port of Pend Oreille and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, working to return out-of-service tracks to operational condition, while performing maintenance on the historic rail corridor that had been previously deferred for years.

The Port’s Economic Development Director, Jessica Garza, said that between six and ten railroad operations jobs will result from the project, along with a number of jobs in tourism and hospitality focused on ticket sales, train hosting and food service.

The project will propel tourism into a promising new economic sector for the county, Garza noted, through the establishment of rail passenger service between the Kalispel Casino area and Newport.

The rehabilitation of the Birdhouse Crossing at Highway 20 also aims to strengthen public safety by working to address a “critical vehicle-rail conflict point.”

Construction is currently scheduled to begin in 2026 with a completion goal set for 2028. Garza announced that the project comprises “Phase 1 of the Port’s broader vision of restored rail service throughout North Pend Oreille County.”