(The following story by Adam Pearson appeared on the News Review website on December 3.)
ROSEBURG, Ore. — Rail line shippers from Coos Bay to Medford last week formed a coalition they say will give them more leverage in railroad decisions that affect them, such as the September closure of the Coos Bay rail line.
The industry organization called the Coos-Siskiyou Shippers Coalition, led by Roseburg Forest Products President Allyn Ford, is made up of 18 members, many of them based in Douglas County.
It is a response to the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad’s 24-hour notice of the closure of the 120-mile line between Eugene and Coquille and recent public hearing testimony that the company also may close part of the Siskiyou rail line, which runs from Eugene to Weed, Calif.
“The purpose of the formation of the coalition is to organize the shippers so that they can speak with one voice and to get a seat at the table where decisions are made that negatively impact economic interests in all of southwest Oregon,” Ford stated in a press release.
Oregon Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Rick Metzger (D-Welches) said the railroad had told the committee the Siskiyou rail line is unprofitable because of the long distances it has to travel without customer support, especially between the Medford area and Weed.
“They said they are considering whether or not to close the line,” Metzger said. “I had interpreted that as they probably will.”
CORP officials could not be immediately reached for comment this morning.
Bob Ragon, executive director of the Douglas Timber Operators, said a closure of the Siskiyou line would double rail traffic through Roseburg. Southern Oregon shippers moving product to California would first have to ship north to Eugene and then connect to the Union Pacific rail line in order to ship to Klamath Falls and across the border.
Taking away the efficiency of rail shipping will eventually drive up costs, Ragon said, as the alternative is trucking. One rail car of wood products is equivalent to three truckloads, he pointed out.
Metzger said that RailAmerica, CORP’s parent company, of Boca Raton, Fla., has expressed no interest in selling either of the lines.
“It makes it very difficult to move forward,” he said.
In November, Oregon Department of Transportation officials said they might consider canceling the CORP’s funding for a new $7.7 million rail yard north of Roseburg because of the Coos Bay rail line closure.
The railroad closed the line citing safety concerns.
Officials from RailAmerica had said it would cost $23 million in repairs to reopen the line. They asked for four public and private entities to share in the cost.