Heavier train traffic ahead for Cheney

News of groundbreaking on a proposed $26 million shuttle loading grain terminal near Four Lakes Nov. 14 surprised city of Cheney officials — and they are hoping project proponents talk to them soon about the potential for more rail traffic through the city.

The project at the intersection of Craig Road and Medical Lake-Four Lakes Road will have a storage capacity of 2 million bushels. By using a loop-track design, it will also enable assembling of 110-car long shuttle trains that will use 6.9 miles of track on the state-owned Central Washington branch of the Palouse River and Coulee City short line between the terminal and Cheney to hook up with Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s mainline.

For Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove, the project makes sense given Pacific Northwest ports lack storage capacity to meet demand for the region’s grain, forcing growers to build storage upstream. It’s the long trains moving slowly through Cheney that concern him, especially trains crossing State Route 904 and Betz Road, thereby creating extended delays at the city’s main entrance — delays impacting business traffic and emergency vehicles.

“If you think about it, it could seal off the whole town in that direction,” Trulove said. “We could have cars backed up to Four Lakes.”

The project is a collaboration between five Eastern Washington grain cooperatives organized as Highline Grain LLC. Highline CEO Kevin Whitehall said once built, the terminal would be capable of hauling 13-20 million bushels of grain via 30-50 trainloads annually.

Whitehall said the project has been in the works for two years, and came at the behest of BNSF in order to preserve growers rate structure.

Currently, growers use a co-load process whereby grain cars are dropped off by BNSF near Cheney and picked up by the short-line operator, who hauls the cars to different drop off points where they are loaded. The cars are then hauled back to Cheney where they are combined into 110-car long shuttle trains.

Whitehall said BNSF told growers they were phasing out co-loads and switching to one-load, one-destination shuttle loads.

“That was what forced our hand,” Whitehall said. “That was what forced us to build that facility.”

As part of the original proposal, Highline and the Washington State Department of Transportation were applying for $7 million in federal funding to refurbish the portion of the CW branch from Cheney to the terminal and past to the connection with the Geiger Spur. The work, including replacing rails and ties along with improving six crossings, would allow transportation of heavier trainloads as well as increasing speed along the line from 10 miles per hour to 25 mph.

As of Dec. 2, Whitehall said that funding was no longer on the table.

“That (federal) failed,” Whitehall said. “That didn’t go through.”

Instead, Highline is hoping for support from the Legislature in the upcoming session.

While supportive of the terminal concept, Trulove and City Administrator Mark Schuller see no gain economically to Cheney. The city is already impacted by train traffic, causing congestion at the Cheney-Spangle and Cheney-Plaza road crossings that spills onto SR 904/First Street.

Traffic has increased as BNSF hauls between 5-8 trainloads daily of coal from Montana/Wyoming and oil North Dakota through Cheney. BNSF constructed six miles of double-track through the city this summer to handle more traffic, which could increase if proposed coal export terminals are built in Western Washington.

Trulove said all this comes at a price other than money.

“Why should Cheney accept the social cost when there is nothing in it for us?” he asked.

Trulove said the CW improvements associated with the grain terminal would also give West Plains more rail access, which could bring more trains through the city. It is his understanding that Spokane County Commissioners have an overall economic development plan for the West Plains, so Cheney officials will try to talk to commissioners to find out what they have in mind.

“We need to make sure we don’t suffer overall costs and get none of the gain,” Trulove said.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].