Officials want to reconfigure the Connell Rail Interchange to accommodate more BNSF and Columbia Basin Railroad traffic. The Columbia Basin Railroad line intersects at the interchange with BNSF’s Lakeside Subdivision line, which links Spokane and Pasco, Wash. The interchange was built roughly 100 years ago. “The configuration is outdated and inefficient, and it needs to be upgraded,” said Connell City Administrator Jed Crowther.
Rail lines from the interchange serve Moses Lake, Wheeler, Schrag, Warden, Bruce, Othello, and Connell. About $2 billion in agricultural products are shipped by rail through the region. The Columbia Basin Railroad hauls more than 10,000 rail cars annually carrying agricultural commodities and industrial freight.
Most of the trains entering Connell come from the north, and must go south roughly 35 miles to Pasco to turn around and return to Connell. As proposed, the interchange would be moved south to an industrial zone, away from vehicle and pedestrian crossings, eliminating a pinch point, increasing efficiency, and allowing timely delivery of products moving through the region. Trains that are coming from Spokane could directly access the Connell interchange from the north and not have to go all the way down to Pasco, turn, and come back.”
. Stakeholders formed the Connell Rail Interchange Coalition in December. Connell city council members on Jan. 5 directed staff to prepare a state Community Economic Revitalization Board planning grant application to determine the cost of the improvements.
“As BNSF increases its capacity, it doesn’t do any good to have a bottleneck,” said Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “Connell will be a bottleneck if we don’t fix it.”