A new contract between the Pacific Northwest’s busiest railroad, BNSF, and Tacoma’s home-grown Tideflats shortline railroad, Tacoma Rail, could give the Port of Tacoma an additional competitive edge over rival ports.
Under the new contract, Tacoma Rail is refueling, doing minor maintenance and stocking the locomotives with supplies to allow them to get back on their transcontinental runs more quickly.
Tacoma Rail has provided similar services for the region’s second-largest railroad, Union Pacific, for several years.