The redirected train traffic would bring industrial development and dollars into the economy, and help make the region an international transportation hub, advocates hope. Twenty years ago, people thought railroads would die. International companies are starting to prefer North America's rail lines for moving large cargo containers from Asia to Europe, he said.
Trains leaving the ports of Seattle and Tacoma have few choices for crossing the state.
One way is to go south to the Oregon border, then east to Pasco and north to Spokane. Another is to head east over Stevens Pass. And with the reopening of Stampede Pass, trains now are rolling through Central Washington to Ellensburg, then southwest through the Yakima Valley to Pasco and finally north to Lind and on to Spokane. The rate of train traffic along that route through the Mid-Columbia will continue to climb, Bennett said. Rail traffic through the Tri- Cities has already increased substantially and will continue to grow in the coming years.