Port of Vancouver, Wash. completes rail project

The $30 million rail entrance project at the Port of Vancouver, designed to increase the efficiency of rail movement through the port, was completed last week.    The Port of Vancouver, Wash. last week announced the completion of a $30 million rail entrance project known as the trench, a key part of the port’s $275 million West Vancouver Freight Access (WVFA) project, which is designed to increase the efficiency of rail movement through the port.
   The new rail entrance project, which was completed ahead of schedule and came in $8 million under budget, according to a statement from the port authority, involved the construction of a watertight trench to allow trains that enter the port to travel under the existing Columbia River Rail Bridge. The new rail alignment allows trains to avoid conflicts with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad mainlines.
   The entire WVFA is expected to be completed by 2017, roughly a year ahead of schedule. The project is expected to cost a total of $50 million under original estimates and is being funded by the port itself, tenant investments, various state and federal grants, and the BNSF Railway. The port projects the WVFA will reduce rail traffic delays as much as 40 percent.