That rail track along highway matters every day to county

For many people, the railroad running through the northern part of Lincoln County along Highway 2 is just part of the landscape. But for the communities it serves, it is something they experience every single day. The sound of locomotive horns late at night. Grain cars banging together during loading. Waiting at crossings while another train moves wheat toward market. For towns along the route, the railroad has long been part of everyday life.

Not to be confused with one of the major transcontinental rail lines that run through the southern portion of Lincoln County- this railroad is different. This one is known as the “CW” Branch. It is the longest of the three branches of what is known as the Palouse River and Coulee City or (PCC) rail system. It is owned by Washington State, managed by WSDOT, and operated by private industry. The PCC rail system connects Eastern Washington to the larger freight transportation system, providing access to international markets, which is an economic benefit for our state and region.

The CW branch was constructed in the late 1800’s and, until quite recently, still contained rail sections bearing the original 1890’s date stamp. Although it was originally designed to carry much lighter loads, it remains a vital transportation lifeline for our farmers, our local economy, and our rural communities.

Each year, millions of bushels of grain move down this line instead of being forced onto our highways and county roads. Local roads that were never designed to handle that level of heavy truck traffic day after day, year after year. Without this railroad, the damage to our county roads and bridges would be severe, with no available funding for the costly repairs.

That is why I have been a strong advocate for continued investment by both the State of Washington and the federal government in our local railroad. As a member of the Palouse River and Coulee City Rail Authority, I serve with Commissioners from Spokane, and Grant counties, as well as the Port of Whitman County, to help oversee and support the long-term operation, economic development, and success of the PCC rail system.

As reported in a recent edition of the Wilbur Register’s “20 Years Ago” column, the State of Washington stepped in and purchased the CW Branch and two other eastern Washington short lines from a private owner. The timing could not have been better, as the owner was in the process of scrapping the rails and completely abandoning the CW Branch. That fateful decision preserved rail service for our region and protected the long-term viability of grain transportation throughout eastern Washington.

A great deal of credit belongs to former Lincoln County Commissioner Ted Hopkins, whose leadership and foresight were instrumental in making the acquisition possible. His efforts helped preserve an asset that continues to benefit our county decades later.

Since the state’s purchase, the PCC system has become a major success story in securing federal and state infrastructure funding. Over the years, tens of millions of dollars — including substantial private-sector funding — have been invested into rebuilding and modernizing this critical rail corridor.

For the CW Branch specifically, more than $3.6 million was invested between 2011 and 2014 through Commerce Department grants and the Lincoln County Freight Rail Assistance Program (FRAP). In 2018, an additional $4 million federal BUILD Grant was secured. This momentum accelerated with a game-changing $30 million federal CRISI grant in 2022 for major improvements between Cheney and Davenport, including rail and tie replacement, ballast upgrades, and major track improvements designed to increase reliability and long-term service. That project is now nearing completion.

In 2024, the CW Branch received another major federal CRISI award of $38 million for the Davenport-to-Wilbur section, matched by more than $20 million from the State of Washington for a $58 million project. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2028. And the work is not stopping there.

Plans are already underway for another $45 million Phase IV project between Wilbur and Hanson Station, with additional future improvements planned west toward Coulee City. This project will be applied for in the next round of federal infrastructure grants with a high likelihood of award due to the already massive investments by the state and federal government.

When you step back and add it all up, the public and private investments in the CW Branch — either completed, underway, or actively pursued — now approach well over $100 million. That is an incredible achievement for rural eastern Washington.

This is one of those rare success stories where agriculture, private industry, local leadership, state agencies, and the federal government all worked together toward a common goal that genuinely benefits rural communities.

Quite simply, rail matters. It is essential for our farmers as they strive to remain competitive in the global marketplace. It relieves taxpayers of the significant burden of rebuilding roads destroyed by excessive heavy truck traffic. And it supports the long-term economic health of Lincoln County and eastern Washington as a whole.

Additionally, like road construction projects, these railroad improvements generate local revenue for the county through its share of the state sales tax paid on such projects.

Rural rail infrastructure often does not make headlines in Olympia or Washington, D.C., but out here, it matters every single day. The CW Branch railroad is proof that strategic investment in transportation infrastructure can pay dividends for generations.

And while securing funding is never easy, this is one area where Eastern Washington has continued to hit home runs. That is something worth recognizing — and absolutely worth continuing to fight for.