OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced that a project aimed at improving 34 miles of railroad track has been awarded $37.7 million in grant funding.
According to WSDOT, the grant, received from the Federal Railroad Administration, will support enhancements to the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee City Railway in eastern Washington. The project also secured an additional $20.3 million in state and private matching funds.
This latest grant is in addition to two previous federal grants for upgrades to the PCC system: one in 2018 for $5.6 million and another in 2023 for $72.8 million. These grants were matched with a total of $45 million in state, local, and private funds. Capital projects funded by these two grants benefit the PCC system in Grant, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, and Whitman counties.
The latest Phase III grant will replace 100-year-old worn rail with new, heavy 115-pound rail, capable of accommodating today’s modern 286,000-pound rail cars. Once the new rail is installed, track speeds will increase from 10 to 25 mph, allowing agricultural products to move more efficiently to national and international markets.
