Washington state legislators seek funds from U.S. DOT TIGER grant to improve infrastructure, freight mobility at Port of Quincy's rail intermodal terminal

Alison Gallant

QUINCY, Washington , November 22, 2011 (press release) – Over thirty legislators (state and federal), businesses, organizations and communities have recently sent letters  to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) expressing extensive support for a TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant to expand the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal  in Washington State.

The 32 letters of support request that the USDOT award a TIGER Grant to the Port of Quincy (Grant County Port District No.1) for infrastructure improvements and to increase cargo and shipment capacity at the "Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal" (in the Port's Industrial Park No. 4).

The Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal (http://www.portofquincyintermodal.com) is located in central Washington on a key cross-country Seattle-Chicago rail mainline (http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/small-intermodal-map.pdf and near a major interstate freeway (I-90).

In particular, the Port of Quincy's proposed infrastructure improvement project to the USDOT (i.e., for a TIGER Grant) would extend the rail siding from the Intermodal Terminal two more miles to the east, provide gravel surfacing to accommodate the placement of more shipping containers in the Intermodal Terminal, and purchase additional intermodal shipping containers and equipment for use by the Port at/or in the Intermodal Terminal.

The primary reason that the Port of Quincy (http://www.portofquincy.org) needs to make the above mentioned infrastructure improvements to the Intermodal Terminal is because usage and business at the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal has increased dramatically in the last couple of years. For example, from the time when the Pacific Northwest-Chicagoland Express Cold Train Intermodal Service (https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JcLlmMJAg-KEPb2kZ_N6OQ?feat=directlink) was launched in partnership with the Port of Quincy at the Intermodal Terminal in April of 2010, this refrigerated intermodal container rail and distribution service (between Quincy, WA and Chicago, IL) has grown rapidly in popularity with produce and perishable shippers in the Pacific Northwest as well as shippers in the Midwest. The number of eastbound shipments of produce on the Cold Train (from Quincy to the greater Chicago area) have risen several hundred percent since early 2010 and continues to climb, while the volume of westbound shipments of cargo on the Cold Train from Chicago to Washington State have also increased by several hundred percent since the beginning of 2010.

According to many of the above mentioned letters of support for a TIGER Grant, the success of the Cold Train and the Port of Quincy in shipping both inbound and outbound cargo has turned the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal into a key distribution hub for the major agricultural production areas in eastern Washington including the Yakima Valley, the Columbia Basin, and the Wenatchee Valley. Additionally, the increasing flow of cargo and goods to and from the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal is creating new jobs and positive economic and freight mobility benefits to the region.

As a result of the increased use of the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal, over thirty legislators, businesses, organizations and communities are strongly supporting the Port of Quincy's recent application for a TIGER Grant so that the infrastructure and capacity at the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal can be improved and expanded to accommodate the growing volume of cargo that is being loaded and unloaded there.

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