BNSF.com reports a deal in which King County and its ports will work with BNSF to execute the long-anticipated enlargement of Stampede Tunnel to allow doublestacks. This will of course give Foreign merchandise a new entrance into the northern U.S. beside the busy Cascade Tunnel and Columbia Gorge routes. As I mentioned many threads ago, this also gives Northwest grain a new outlet to port. According to figures just released by the Washington Wheat Commission, wheat shipments by container rose from approx. 1000 containers/20,000 metric tons in 2002 to more than 5000 containers/100,000 metric tons in 2006. Ports on the Columbia River, California, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic have seen a small share of this containerized grain/soybean increase, but the vast majority of it has been handled through the Puget Sound ports. Puget ports went from 40,000 metric tons of boxed grain in 2004 to nearly 80,000 metric tons in 2006. Much of that containerized grain has left the elevator on a track chassis, but more and more is winding up on container trains. With Stampede sitting directly between the Inland Northwest wheat fields and the Puget Sound ports, the trend should see a continued upswing.