State will spend $11.3 million plus on area rails

After years of bandaid fixes, the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad is on track for repair and rehabilitation to make it a solid rail system.

“It is kind of exciting,” said Bob Westby, PCC rail system manager.

The rail line now has $11,333,963 in funding to replace ties, rail, ballast and 10 bridges to support the 110 car unit trains serving grain terminals on both ends of the county.

Westby explained that rail is measured by the weight per yard. Heaviest rail is 136 to 140 pounds per yard. The PCC rail is a “hodge-podge” of old rails, some still in the 70 to 85 pound-per-yard range.

To sup...