By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Quincy this week requested $16.2 million in transportation funding from the Washington State Legislature to expand the infrastructure at its intermodal terminal to help restore “critical domestic eastbound intermodal rail service” for Central Washington fresh produce, perishable and frozen foods shippers.
The port says the project would expand the infrastructure at the intermodal terminal to meet unit train requirements of BNSF Railway and help eliminate congestion on the Great Northern Corridor Rail Line in Quincy, Wash. In particular, the port says, the expansion project would include installation of three additional intermodal tracks to increase the capacity of the terminal to be able to simultaneously load or unload longer intermodal container trains, and a new longer siding track and set out/pick up track that would allow longer trains to pull off of the BNSF mainline at Quincy for arrival and departure in one piece.
The project would also entail expanding the surface area of the intermodal terminal to allow for more storage of containers, and constructing a bridge across the US Bureau of Reclamation West Canal near Quincy.
Expanding the terminal’s infrastructure would then allow the port to bring-in an intermodal operator to begin shipping fresh produce, frozen foods and other perishable goods grown in the state to the Midwest and Eastern US markets, the port says.