A new PNW container port? $205M for Oregon rail project

The Port of Coos Bay has secured nearly $205 million in federal funding to upgrade its rail line, advancing a proposed Oregon container terminal that would rely on trains to move cargo between ships and inland markets.

The $204.8 million award, announced Oct. 19 by Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle, will fund final design and construction of improvements to the Coos Bay Rail Line. The work is intended to increase capacity, improve reliability and prepare the railroad to support the proposed Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, or PCIP.

The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants program. Planned improvements include repairing and replacing track, ties, bridges and tunnels, according to Hoyle’s office.

The 111-mile railroad runs from Coos Bay to near Eugene. Its rehabilitation is a critical component of the broader port development, which would create a deepwater container terminal with a ship-to-rail connection.

This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →