Washington State Rail Plan

2025 State Rail Plan update

Work started in October 2024 to update the Washington State Rail Plan. Extensive analysis is underway to assess current and future capacity and demand for both passenger and freight rail networks in the state. This analysis will be used to identify rail system trends, issues, needs and strategies, including a focus on how rail affects communities, the environment and connections with other freight and transit modes. It also will look at infrastructure improvements on both Class I and short-line railroads that may be needed to meet future demands.

The 2025 State Rail Plan update will be completed by late 2025, with several opportunities for public involvement through listening sessions, online open houses and review of draft materials. More details will be available on this website as work progresses.

2019 State Rail Plan

Rail is an integral part of the statewide transportation system that keeps people and businesses moving. The 2019 Washington State Rail Plan comes during a time of change for rail transportation in the state, with the rail transportation system facing important near and long-term challenges that include:

• Meeting the increasing demand for passenger and freight rail services in Washington on the private rail network over which passenger and freight trains operate.
• Developing more efficient and effective connections between rail and other modes of transportation.
• Addressing issues related to the December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment at DuPont, WA.
• Ensuring the economic sustainability of Washington’s public and private short line railroads that face infrastructure investment needs in order to preserve these important services to communities.

Planning documents such as this represent a snapshot in the continuous improvement of the rail system in Washington. For example, the needs of the state’s rail program may change in light of upcoming transportation funding measures, changes in rail demands related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in marine traffic on the Snake and Columbia rivers. These issues could have significant implications to the state’s rail system and WSDOT may need to perform a technical update as appropriate prior to the next five-year plan update cycle.

2019 Washington State Rail Plan (PDF 3.5MB)

Appendix A - Illustrative List of Investments (PDF 370KB)

Appendix B - Demand Forecasts (PDF 1.3MB)

Appendix C - Multimodal Connectivity Analysis (PDF 9.4MB)

Appendix D - Crosswalk between FRA Guidance and State Rail Plan (PDF 129KB)

Highlights of the 2019 State Rail Plan

• Describes the rail system in Washington.
• Highlights system benefits to the state.
• Forecasts future freight rail volumes and passenger rail ridership.
• Identifies system trends and needs.
• Assesses station connectivity needs. 
• Suggests strategies for addressing issues and needs.
• Identifies potential improvements and investments to maintain and optimize freight and passenger rail.
• Lists funding sources available for rail system investments.