Quote:

TriCity Herald
Scott Keller, the port’s executive director, said the track was in Class 3 condition at the time of the lease, a federal standard that sets a 45 mph limit on traffic.
It has deteriorated to the lowest standard allowed, with a 10-mph limit, with some stretches restricted to 5 mph. In its current condition, the line can’t accommodate hazardous materials or passenger service, although the latter isn’t an issue.

The Port of Benton wants to evict Tri-City Railroad Co. from its 16-mile network of tracks, saying it breached its contract by failing to maintain the line.

Further deterioration could lead to a shutdown.


“We cannot allow it to be taken out of service,” said Keller, who said the railroad has refused repeated requests for maintenance records, including 11 requests in the past year.

The standoff came to a head early last year after the port received a $2 million state grant to repair a railroad bridge near the Richland Fred Meyer.

It awarded a contract in late March. In May, workers began pulling up rails and ties to make the repairs. The railroad ties splintered.

Troubled, the port hired inspectors to X-ray all 43,437 ties. The results were alarming: 2,443 had failed, 10,000 were near failure and 19,000 would fail within seven years.

In September, it demanded an action plan to repair the system.


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