Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Washington State 2010-2030 Freight Rail Plan identifies statewide freight rail needs

Date:  Thursday, January 07, 2010

Contact:
George Xu, WSDOT State Rail & Marine Office, 360-705-6902
Vickie Sheehan, WSDOT Communications, 360-705-7904

OLYMPIA The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has completed the Washington State 2010-2030 Freight Rail Plan as directed by the Washington State Legislature. This plan is a revision to the Washington State Freight Rail Plan 1998 Update.

The plan is available on-line at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Freight/Rail/Plan.

The Freight Rail Plan will provide guidance for rail initiatives and investments in Washington State over the next 20 years that will:

• Support Washingtons economic competitiveness and economic viability.
• Preserve the ability of Washingtons freight rail system to efficiently serve the needs of its customers.
• Facilitate freight system capacity increases to improve mobility and reduce congestion.
• Take advantage of freight rails modal energy efficiency to reduce the negative environmental impact of freight movement in Washington.

The Freight Rail Plan is an important part of ensuring Washingtons freight rail system remains an efficient and economically viable system, since a large part of our economy depends on freight for its competitiveness and growth, said Paula Hammond, Secretary of Transportation.

Washingtons freight rail system carried 116 million tons of freight in 2007 (most recent data available). Freight rail employed 4,207 people in the state and contributed $533 million directly to the states gross domestic product.

The Washington State Freight Rail Plan complies with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements that the state establishes, updates, and revises a rail plan in order to receive federal assistance. The Freight Rail Plan also fulfills state requirements, under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 47.76.220 and RCW 47.06.080, that WSDOT prepare and periodically revise a state rail plan that identifies, evaluates, and encourages essential rail services.

This plan is the product of six months of research and development, but ultimately continues the research and planning that has been done since 1978, said Scott Witt, State Rail and Marine Director. The strategies and recommendations identified within the plan will help guide us in determining the most effective and responsible improvements and investments necessary to our rail system.

In the development of the Washington State Freight Rail Plan, an advisory committee was formed involving stakeholders from rail industries, ports, shippers, local entities, tribes, transportation communities, interest groups, and the general public. The advisory committees role was to help WSDOT assess and evaluate the freight rail system, capacity, and needs assessment, understand concerns of local communities, share information, and provide feedback during the development process.