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The Little Engines Could - If They Get the Money

Railroad, Jay Inslee
Paige Browning
/
Spokane Public Radio

Like many of Washington State's roads and bridges, most of the state's short line railroads are in bad shape - plagued with tottering bridges, deteriorating road beds and rails that are too light to support increasingly heavy loads.

A new report by the state department of transportation and WSU experts makes clear a fundamental dilemma facing the state's 29 short lines. They're vital to farmers and local industries, but they can't do the job demanded of them.

Too many short lines have been neglected for years. The routes were abandoned long ago by major railroads because they were unprofitable. And there hasn't been enough money since then to do any more than patchwork repairs and maintenance.

Moreover, most rail cars are now heavier - about 286,000 pounds - meaning that they wear out lightweight rails more quickly. And train speeds must be kept to a crawl on some trackage lest the rails collapse.

To fix the statewide problem may cost upwards of 600-million dollars according to the joint report.

But lawmakers this year designated only 47-million dollars for the state-owned short line system. That system includes the Palouse River and Coulee city railroad in eastern Washington.

The report may touch off new headaches for lawmakers in their next budget fight. The short lines are considered vital for farmers to get their crops to market, and to keep scores of heavy trucks off the state's highways. But to keep the railroads running will cost money.

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