Port of Moses Lake has filed a verified notice of exemption to acquire a 0.5-mile, stub-ended rail segment in Moses Lake, Washington.
The filing seeks authority for the port, a Class III common carrier and the municipality to acquire the segment from Columbia Basin Railroad Company. The line extends from near Forbes Road north to a point just south of Grant County International Airport, terminating at approximately milepost 18.3.
According to the notice, the segment is part of the broader Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project.
The port acquired the line as part of a transaction involving another Columbia Basin Railroad line, Segment 3, which connects to the stub-ended segment. While the port’s authority to acquire Segment 3 was approved by the Surface Transportation Board in 2009, that decision did not include approval to acquire the stub-ended line.
The port said it completed the acquisition of both Segment 3 and the stub-ended line on March 10, 2025. It is now seeking formal authority to purchase the stub-ended line consistent with a board decision issued Sept. 12, 2025.
Under the proposal, Columbia Basin Railroad would operate the line and is expected to seek a separate operating exemption before service begins as part of the completed project. The port certified that the transaction does not include an interchange commitment and that projected annual revenues would not exceed $5 million, meaning the acquisition would not cause it to become a Class I or Class II rail carrier.
Absent a stay or revocation, the exemption would take effect Feb. 20. Petitions to stay the exemption are due by Feb. 13.
Be the first to comment