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Western Rail Switching

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Western Rail Switching
Overview
HeadquartersAirway Heights, Washington
Reporting markWRS
LocaleSpokane County, Washington
Dates of operation2004–2009
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Western Rail Switching (reporting mark WRS) was a switching and terminal railroad, operating a line west of Spokane, Washington.

Ownership

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It was owned by Western Rail, Inc., a leasing company.

In 2004, Spokane County bought the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's Geiger Spur,[1] and designated WRS to operate it, beginning in October.[2]

Following the takeover of the nearby Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (EWG), the Washington Department of Transportation financed a newly constructed connection to the new short line operator.

Opening

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This realignment was opened on January 2, 2009, bypassing Fairchild Air Force Base, through which the spur had run.[3]

The west end of the spur is now at the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad, near Medical Lake.[4]

Operator

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Not long after beginning operations, EWG filed with the Surface Transportation Board to replace WRS as operator, and now[when?] runs the Geiger Spur an exclusive operator.[needs update][5]

Cargo Traffic

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Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consists primarily of inbound steel loads.

References

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  1. ^ "STB Finance Docket No. 34541". October 1, 2004.
  2. ^ Railroad Retirement Board (December 2, 2004). "Employer Status Determination: Western Rail Switching, Inc".
  3. ^ "Spur Rail Opens Next Week". Spokane Spokesman-Review. December 25, 2008.
  4. ^ Washington State Department of Transportation. "Rail - Geiger Spur/Airway Heights - New Rail Connection". Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  5. ^ "STB Finance Docket No. 35201". December 5, 2008.
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