The Federal Railroad Administration recently awarded the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) a $37.7 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program grant to improve 34 miles of railroad track between Davenport and Wilbur.
State and private matching funds provided an additional $20.3 million toward the project.
The department will use funding to continue enhancements on the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC) railway in eastern Washington. Work includes replacing 100-year-old rails with 115-pound rails that can accommodate modern 286,000-pound rail cars. Once completed, track speeds will increase from 10 miles an hour to 25.
WSDOT contracts with private railroads to operate and maintain each of the three PCC branches and oversees the facility and regulatory portions of the system.
The PCC Rail Authority, an intergovernmental entity formed by the counties, oversees the business and economic development portions of leases.
The project aligns with the 2015 PCC Rail System Strategic Plan that serves as an investment strategy.
WSDOT received a $5.6 million federal grant in 2018 and a $72.8 million federal grant in 2023 for upgrades to the PCC system. The grants were matched by $45 million in state, local and private funds.
Projects funded improvements in Adams, Grant, Lincoln, Spokane and Whitman counties.