Royal seeks to rehab rail spur
Royal seeks to rehab rail spur
Columbia Basin Railroad eyeing line
ROYAL CITY — Support is gathering for a local effort to rehabilitate a rail line through the area.
Port of Royal Slope director Cathy Potter said efforts have been under way since May 2004 to find a way to rehabilitate the 6- to 7-mile rail spur, which runs from Othello through the industrial area of town.
Even though the port district does not own the rail, which has been idle for a number of years, it views the rail as the future mode of transportation for local products.
The port wrote letters to legislators and the Washington State Department of Transportation asking for assistance to clear the track of rockslides and debris to make it look presentable to businesses considering the area and considering operation on the line.
After a meeting in March where area shippers asked for help, the port and Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Moses Lake, scheduled a meeting May 25 in Royal City Hall, at which over 34 people were in attendance, including shippers, Grant County commissioners, area legislators and WSDOT representatives.
"That rail project is equal to all the other rail projects, I believe, in central Washington for growers and shippers," Mulliken said. "Fortunately, the timing was perfect to get (the project) added in to the transportation proposals coming forth for the 2007 budget."
Mulliken called the meeting successful, noting the shippers were committed, which is what it takes for WSDOT and the state to take budget requests seriously.
"The port has the industrial park, we're ready for businesses," Potter said. "We cannot compete for businesses against other areas that have rail service, and then our main thing is retaining the businesses that we have."
Potter said Royal City-based El Dorado Stone is a large stakeholder that has had to go out of the area to find rail service. The company employs 250 people, she said, and other businesses have also asked for rail.
Columbia Basin Railroad president Brig Temple said his company has been eyeing the rail line through Royal City for years, and is interested in operating the short-line.
"Our current rail line ends in Othello, which connects right into the Port of Royal Slope line, running out to Royal City, so from an operating standpoint, we'd be the natural operator," Temple said. "We've always kept our eye on Royal City hoping somebody that was interested in shipping by rail would look at that area."
In any community, having industrial property served by rail allows the opportunity to lure businesses, Temple said, pointing to various companies choosing to locate in the county.
"It's a really good-sized piece of industrial land and if they have active rail service, they could compete with the Moses Lakes, Quincys and the Wenatchees that are bringing businesses into their communities," he said. "I'm hoping that this time we can get the thing reopened."
Temple said the line really needs ties, as wooden railroad ties last about 40 years, but the rail is in pretty good shape.
"That's going to be the most expensive part of the repair to make," Temple said of replacing the ties.
Potter said Temple's company would need 800 to 1,000 cars shipped yearly on the line to break even on maintaining the system. As the shippers identified themselves and expressed their concerns about low truck availability and high fuel prices, the tally showed a need for 900 cars a year from the shippers in the room, with the possibility for that number to increase.
The port is working on a business plan to show the feasibility of putting funding into the project. A WSDOT representative was scheduled to meet with shippers Friday to see how serious their needs are for rail service.
"When businesses come to us asking for help, we feel we should do what we can," Potter said. "We need to retain the current businesses in our area, support expansion and encourage new businesses."
Rail in to the area could also benefit local farmers, she added, since the products they used are transported in by truck, and higher fuel prices are passed on to them.
Become a Subscriber!
You have read all of your free articles this month. Select a plan below to start your subscription today.
Already a subscriber? Login
