Jeremy Sage

Washington State Short-Line Railroads: Case Study in Meeting 21st-Century Demands with 19th-Century Infrastructure

Following the Staggers Act of 1980, the Class I railroads in Washington State abandoned nearly 2,000 mi of rail line, as similar events occurred throughout the country. This abandonment generated the opportunity for the creation of many short-line railroads on branch and light-density lines. Recognition of the degree of deferred maintenance throughout the country has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Many short lines have not been upgraded to meet the standards and conditions required for modern freight rail load limits (286,000 lb per car) and frequently rely on century-old rail lines. Through in-depth interviews of short-line operators and owners, this paper finds that more than 55% (740 mi) of all current short-line miles within Washington State are unable to handle 286,000-lb railcars efficiently, putting those operators and owners at an increasing economic disadvantage. Overcoming this deficiency and bringing the state’s short-line system to Class II operating status will require infrastructure investments in excess of

Real-Time Assessment of the Columbia-Snake River Extended Lock Outage: Process and Impacts

600 million. The annual need throughout the state exceeds the current funding capabilities of most lines through their own revenue streams and public support, even if considered over a 20-year planning horizon. To put the effects of deferred maintenance in perspective, three short-line case studies illustrate the private and public benefits of investment in the short-line railroad system to ensure that short lines remain viable operations.

Decisions to direct market: Geographic influences on conventions in organic production

Waterborne movements, one of the more economical methods of all modes of transportation, are a key component of the multimodal transportation system in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The Columbia–Snake River system in the Pacific Northwest underwent a sustained lock outage from December 2010 to March 2011. This outage eliminated barge transportation on much of the upper Columbia River and all of the Snake River. Shippers, carriers, and ports on the river projected the impact of the loss of a major mode of transportation to be substantial and the impact on demands of other modes of transportation to be dramatic. A study done in real time took advantage of the disruption of the Columbia–Snake system to determine the dynamics of the overall process and the impacts of such a change induced by an outage. The study reported specifically on the Pacific Northwest wheat industry, 75% of downriver commodity movement. A transportation disruption like that of the extended lock outage on the Columbia–Snake River system had never occurred in the United States. The study authors were able to evaluate the logistic, economic, and environmental impacts of a sustained halt in barge transportation. Overall, Columbia–Snake River stakeholders were well prepared and managed to navigate the disruption in transportation without incurring inordinate costs at a net cost per bushel of 6 cents.