Five Washington state ports team up to develop inland logistics hub
3/6/2026
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
A coordinated effort among five ports in Washington state to expand inland connections, enhance international trade, strengthen supply chains, ease Puget Sound area congestion and spur intermodal growth took a major step forward in early February.
That’s when the Port of Benton, Port of Pasco, Port of Walla Walla and the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) — a joint venture between the ports in Seattle and Tacoma — signed an interlocal agreement to develop an inland logistics hub in the state’s Tri-Cities region.
The Tri-Cities are Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, three closely linked communities located in the Columbia Basin at the confluence of the Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers.
The port partners believe the Tri-Cities hub will leverage existing regional assets, including available industrial-zoned land, access to BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, close proximity to major highway and direct port connections. The hub also will support the development of new logistics capabilities, including intermodal transfer operations, distribution centers, warehouses and barge facilities that access the Columbia-Snake River system.
The ports anticipate that the hub would attract more importers and import activity, helping to offset the cost of positioning containers in the region, ensure an adequate container supply and further reduce transportation costs. Importers could access intermodal rail to move import containers to the Tri-Cities area for deconsolidation, transload and distribution. Containers would move directly from vessel to a train via on-dock rail facilities for movement to the Tri-Cities hub.
“Access to intermodal rail with direct connections to the NWSA marine terminals and the international ocean services calling at the ports will benefit new and existing customers that import and export products through the NWSA,” Port of Benton officials said in an email. “In addition, this coordinated effort will help to drive efficient development where we build the correct project in the correct location, efficiently employing port assets where they can best be used.”
A map shows the potential layout of a Northwest Intermodal Facility that the Port of Benton plans to develop at the inland hub.Port of BentonExpanded transportation capacity in the region would support the growth of export traffic to global markets.
“This region is heavily export-based. As we develop better logistics in this area, it will benefit that export market but will also drive the import market in our area,” Port of Benton officials said. “Having full loads going in both directions will drive down the cost of shipping and bring more development dollars to our area.”
In early 2025, the Port of Benton began discussions with the other ports about developing an interlocal agreement on the hub. For the past decade, the port has worked closely with the NWSA concerning transportation issues.
“All entities are working jointly on this project, with each focusing on a different area of the agreement,” Port of Benton officials said, adding that the NWSA is leading the administration of the pact.
For the NWSA, the collaborative effort aligns well with the alliance’s strategic vision to expand inland connections.
“Together, we will unlock new opportunities for economic growth, enhance supply chain efficiency and deliver shared prosperity that benefits communities statewide,” NWSA officials said.
The agreement focuses on joint planning and coordinated marketing efforts to attract investment from international trade customers and companies, alignment on land-use and transportation planning, and collaborative pursuit of funding opportunities.
Through the collaboration, the ports seek to leverage collective resources, preserve competitive options for each port district and build on the success of the current rail connection offered by Tri-Cities Intermodal LLC, which was launched in 2024. Served by UP and Columbia Rail, Tri-Cities Intermodal operates the only intermodal ramp in southeastern Washington.
The ports currently are discussing and advancing joint marketing efforts to promote the inland hub. They are trying to agree on land-use planning and policies for real estate and transportation infrastructure related to targeted inland logistics hub objectives and activities, Port of Benton officials said.
The new inland logistics hub would access rail service from BNSF and UP. The Class Is already provide daily/weekly service to various facilities in the Tri-Cities region.Port of BentonThe hub will include a variety of businesses, service providers and port infrastructure, so there will not be a single operator of the facility, they said. Each port is planning its own construction project. For example, the Port of Benton plans to develop a Northwest Intermodal Facility at the hub.
“Since each entity would be participating in different construction projects, a specific project schedule does not exist. But [we] will likely perform some construction on the new track for the effort in early 2027,” Port of Benton officials said.
BNSF and UP already provide daily/weekly service to various facilities in the region, such as for bulk commodities, and the Port of Benton currently manages truck-to-rail operations in North Richland.
“[Our] effort, and construction of new track, will increase this truck-to-rail opportunity to truck transloading,” Port of Benton officials said.
