Mountain Division Rail/Trail Project
In 1990, the City of Tacoma accepted a donation from Weyerhaeuser of 54.5 miles of track. Later, in 1995, the City purchased another 77 miles of track from Weyerhaeuser for $3,159,457. The Association of American Railroads assigned the railroad mark Tacoma Rail Mountain Division (TRMW) to the assembled railroad corridor. Public Works has administrative oversight for TRMW, and TPU-Rail operates and maintains the railroad line on the City’s behalf.
The acquisition of the railroad corridor was pursued for economic development purposes, specific to tourism. At that time, the City had plans to build a “Train to the Mountain”, program which would include both passenger rail and bus service to Mount Rainier. While there was some investment to upgrade various segments of the rail line, the overall cost to realize and maintain the initial vision was substantial. From 2005-2011 the City attempted partnerships with a series of passenger excursion operations, however, they all failed as ridership was unsustainable. In order to generate additional revenue for planned passenger operations and maintenance, the City also utilized the line to re-establish freight rail service in the Frederickson area. Economic development opportunities to increase freight traffic were infrequent because developable property adjacent to the rail line is sparse.
While in operation, the line’s annual traffic did not generate sufficient revenue to cover the expense of maintenance and operations, and ongoing subsidies from the City’s General Fund were needed to support the City’s ownership and common carrier obligations to the active customers. Additionally, the City anticipated the need for $40M in capital investments over 10 years to make necessary improvements to tracks, bridges and crossing surfaces between Tacoma and Frederickson. In 2023, the City sold portions of TRMW outside of the City limits, necessary to support the customer base in Frederickson, and successfully petitioned the Surface Transportation Board to discontinue operations on the retained TRMW segments inside the City limits.
The City has reserved a portion of the proceeds from the sale to conduct a study of the rail line segments that were retained within the City. While service on TRMW within the City limits has been discontinued, it is not abandoned, and STB could require rail operations resume in the future. The purpose of the study would be to determine what use or uses would best serve the community, such as new roadway connections to improve connectivity and mobility, converting the property to a linear park or trail, or selling portions of the property. While funding is available for the study, funds are not currently identified for any improvements identified during the study. Additionally, if the study concludes the best public use is not rail operations, the City will need to obtain approval to abandon this facility before other uses can begin.
The City anticipates hiring a consultant in late 2025 to assist with the study and the community engagement. More information will be posted on this page when it is available. Questions can be directed to tacomamobility@cityoftacoma.org.
Resources
City Council Resolution 41130 - Authorizing the sale of right-of-way outside of the City
Petition for Exemption to Discontinue Operations