Rail car project expected to be operational this summer
Rail car project expected to be operational this summer
Sen. Murray on hand at BBCC to discuss pilot project
MOSES LAKE — Washington farmers could have the greatest crops in the world, but they need to get those products to market if they want to be successful.
A pilot program could ease the transportation problems faced by those farmers, utilizing refurbished refrigerated rail cars to get potatoes, onions and other crops to ports and the east coast via rail. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray was in Moses Lake Monday to discuss movement on the program she called "a success for our farmers."
Murray, D-Wash., helped announce the project with state Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Moses Lake, and a multitude of agriculture industry representatives at Big Bend Community College. The announcement preceded a roundtable discussion with farmers on issues including immigration, food labeling and the 2007 federal farm bill.
Washington State Potato Commission Executive Director Chris Voigt moderated the roundtable. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail car fleet's standard rail cars are nearing their life expectancy and will be going off the tracks because of their age. Voigt said the difficulty comes in filling a gap between the expiration of those cars and when a new generation of cars come on-line.
"This rail car pool fleet energy program is going to help us in the transition period between when our standard cars go off-line versus when the super cars are going to be available," Voigt said, adding the issue really boils down to the availability of refrigerated cars for farmers and growers.
Murray told the roundtable that one of the successes was in having the federal government understand the problem of refrigerated rail car availability. The federal government allocated $2 million over two years for the program, combined with $200,000 funded from the state Legislature, which will go toward managing approximately 75 refurbished refrigerated cars in the program.
"This will be a fleet of rail cars that will be guaranteed delivery for our folks, guaranteed availability, which is very important," Voigt said.
Authority for the program was set up by the Legislature a few years ago. Mulliken sponsored legislation to give the Washington State Department of Transportation the authority to administer the program, which she too said she was excited about.
The state will be contracting with Rail Logistics to provide the refurbished rail cars. The company, based in Kansas, will refurbish cars for continued use and administer the program. Michael E. Rowswell is freight rail services manager with the Washington State Department of Transportation, and said the opportunity for the program came after help from Murray and Mulliken.
Rowswell said the railroad companies are discontinuing the cars' use, but once refurbished the cars can be used for this type of program for an additional 10 years. Details have not yet been specified on the project, and Rowswell said the company will be holding meetings to get input from the state's farmers on what they need from the rail car program. Rowswell expected the project to be in operation no later than mid-July.
"Hopefully through that means we can provide a little better services through the majors by having the company actively and aggressively managing these cars," Rowswell said.
Rail Logistics will be holding three meetings throughout the state to get input on the program and the needs of area farmers. Rail Logistics will meet with the public at 1 p.m. March 30 at the Port of Quincy. Other meetings will be held in Seattle and Pasco.
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