Officials urge railway to sign on the dotted line
Officials urge railway to sign on the dotted line
The status of intermodal rail transportation from the port of Quincy in the state of Washington is unclear at this time, but governmental officials are hard at work to bring the project to fruition.
On March 28, Washington state Rep. Judy Warnick (Dist. 13) and 13 of her legislative colleagues sent a letter to Patrick Kinne of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's Intermodal Division urging that efforts be stepped up to formalize the service.
Port of Quincy Commissioner Brian Kuest said, "As a port, we've been aggressive in pursuing the service. It has been operational since April 2005, and we have talked with the railway about future economic development."
According to Mr. Kuest, development of viable intermodal rail transportation will benefit both the agricultural and technology communities in the immediate area. "We've got an abundance of ag product in a 50-mile radius," he told The Produce News.
Microsoft held a ribbon-cutting April 16 for its new Quincy technology center, and Yahoo has also relocated to the area. Mr. Kuest said that Intuit, another technology company, recently purchased some private property.
"All of these compounded together are facilitating our aggressiveness," he said. "We can't stop now."
In 2002, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway provided the port of Quincy with assurances of its desire to develop intermodal train service to ship a variety of products, including agricultural commodities, westward to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, WA. The service is seen as a way to deal with ever- growing truck congestion along the Interstate 90 corridor.
Potential also exists to provide intermodal transportation eastward, Mr. Kuest added.
Since the understanding was initiated, Rep. Warnick said that federal, state and local governmental entities have invested more than $10 million to realize the project. Columbia Colstor also constructed a $25 million, 250,000-square-foot international intermodal refrigerated warehouse at the terminal in anticipation of moving product. The company also plans to construct additional warehouse facilities to move dry goods and industrial products in the future.
Rep. Warnick noted, "This terminal is a vital component toward the development of new companies locating in Quincy and the Columbia Basin."
"Since 2002, Quincy has grown dramatically and has had nearly $1 billion of new business development and also has added several new potential rail customers," the legislators wrote in their letter to Mr. Kinne. "In addition, several major shippers have recently written letters of support to the port of Quincy indicating their interest in utilizing intermodal rail service from Quincy to the Puget Sound."
Mr. Kuest said that the negotiations are complex, and the port continues to work toward a written agreement with BNSFR. "If we get a marketing plan that aligns with Burlington Northern, we will have something to talk about," he stated. "Anything we can do to get those products moving is good."
On March 28, Washington state Rep. Judy Warnick (Dist. 13) and 13 of her legislative colleagues sent a letter to Patrick Kinne of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's Intermodal Division urging that efforts be stepped up to formalize the service.
Port of Quincy Commissioner Brian Kuest said, "As a port, we've been aggressive in pursuing the service. It has been operational since April 2005, and we have talked with the railway about future economic development."
According to Mr. Kuest, development of viable intermodal rail transportation will benefit both the agricultural and technology communities in the immediate area. "We've got an abundance of ag product in a 50-mile radius," he told The Produce News.
Microsoft held a ribbon-cutting April 16 for its new Quincy technology center, and Yahoo has also relocated to the area. Mr. Kuest said that Intuit, another technology company, recently purchased some private property.
"All of these compounded together are facilitating our aggressiveness," he said. "We can't stop now."
In 2002, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway provided the port of Quincy with assurances of its desire to develop intermodal train service to ship a variety of products, including agricultural commodities, westward to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, WA. The service is seen as a way to deal with ever- growing truck congestion along the Interstate 90 corridor.
Potential also exists to provide intermodal transportation eastward, Mr. Kuest added.
Since the understanding was initiated, Rep. Warnick said that federal, state and local governmental entities have invested more than $10 million to realize the project. Columbia Colstor also constructed a $25 million, 250,000-square-foot international intermodal refrigerated warehouse at the terminal in anticipation of moving product. The company also plans to construct additional warehouse facilities to move dry goods and industrial products in the future.
Rep. Warnick noted, "This terminal is a vital component toward the development of new companies locating in Quincy and the Columbia Basin."
"Since 2002, Quincy has grown dramatically and has had nearly $1 billion of new business development and also has added several new potential rail customers," the legislators wrote in their letter to Mr. Kinne. "In addition, several major shippers have recently written letters of support to the port of Quincy indicating their interest in utilizing intermodal rail service from Quincy to the Puget Sound."
Mr. Kuest said that the negotiations are complex, and the port continues to work toward a written agreement with BNSFR. "If we get a marketing plan that aligns with Burlington Northern, we will have something to talk about," he stated. "Anything we can do to get those products moving is good."
