Ports

Federal Grant Accelerates Oregon Rail Upgrade for Proposed Container Port

The Port of Coos Bay has won $205 million in federal funding to rehabilitate its rail corridor, a critical step toward developing a new container terminal on Oregon's coast. The Department of Transportation grant will support final design and construction work on the 111-mile Coos Bay Rail Line, which connects the port to markets near Eugene. Planned upgrades include replacing track, ties, bridges and tunnels to boost capacity and reliability. The improvements are essential infrastructure for the proposed Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, a $2 billion deepwater container facility designed to move cargo by rail to inland destinations. Kyle Stevens, president of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Board of Commissioners, said the funding puts the project "on a path toward constructing the critical rail infrastructure needed to bring a new West Coast container gateway to life." The award follows $11 million in earlier federal funding and builds on approximately $70 million in prior federal funding and $160 million from Oregon. Port officials view the terminal as a competitive alternative to existing West Coast gateways in Portland, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. The facility remains years from opening pending additional financing and regulatory approvals.