Port Commission Accepts Donation of Rail Line from Columbia Basin Railroad

Moses Lake, WA - March 10, 2025: In today’s Port Commission meeting, the Board unanimously approved Columbia Basin Railroad’s donation of three miles of rail line and advancing the Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project (NCBRP). 

The donated segment of rail line, (aka: Segment 3) is an existing, currently inactive rail line that extends from South of Grant County International Airport (GCIA) and east of Patton Boulevard to North Stratford Road in Moses Lake. This donation effectively connects Wheeler Corridor’s rail, (Segment 1) with rail still to be constructed near GCIA, (Segment 2). The donation also includes an operation agreement between the Port of Moses Lake and Columbia Basin Railroad. 

For a visual overview of the NCBRP, go to: Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project (NCBRP).  

The NCBRP aims to restore vital rail service lost in 2009, connecting Moses Lake, GCIA, and 1,250 acres of industrial land in the GCIA Employment Center. The NCBRP route bypasses Downtown Moses Lake and provides rail access to over 1,000 acres along the Wheeler Industrial Corridor. By offering a cost-effective transportation solution, the project seeks to attract new industries and support existing businesses and agricultural producers in rural Central Washington, enhancing shipping operations to Pacific Northwest ports and the Midwest.

Darrin Jackson, Port Commission District One and current Commission President, said, “This collaboration with Columbia Basin Railroad brings us closer to our goal of restored and enhanced logistical connectivity and efficiency, which will greatly benefit local industries and our community.”

Kent Jones, Port Commission District Three, said, "I’m glad the railroad project keeps progressing. This is an important partnership and we look forward to the benefits the completed project will bring.”

For more information, contact: 

Dan Roach, Executive Director Port of Moses Lake

Tel: 509-771-6231 / droach@portofmoseslake.com  

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About the Port of Moses Lake:

The Port of Moses Lake serves as an aviation, manufacturing, and technology hub for the Pacific Northwest. Home to Grant County International Airport, one of the largest airports in the Western United States, the Port is surrounded by greenfield land, low population density, and is supplied with the most affordable renewable power of any county in the nation. Established in 1965, the Port of Moses Lake has connected Central Washington to the world, linking people and products by air, rail, and land, across the globe.

Learn more at: portofmoseslake.com