TRAILS --  A series of public workshops to gather opinions on the future of  the Colfax-Albion-Pullman rail corridor are scheduled in November and December.

The state-owned railway running 19 miles between Colfax and Pullman is slated for abandonment. Groups are scoping the possibilities of rail banking the right of way for a potential trail.

The route would be easily accessible by residents of the towns the railway has served as well as students and staff at Washington State University, said trail advocate Rich Wesson of the Pullman Civic Trust. It follows the South Fork of the Palouse River and is  removed from the traffic of Highway195.

The corridor is currently managed by the Washington Department of Transportation, which has determined that the corridor is no longer needed for rail purposes.

WSDOT is seeking public input on three possible options for the future of the corridor: 

1. Abandon the corridor and dispose of the public right-of-way.
2. Railbank the corridor to preserve the option for future rail use, allowing another agency to assume responsibility for the corridor with the allowance of trail use in the interim.
3. Maintain state responsibility for the corridor, which would preserve the option for future rail use while prohibiting a trail or public use.

The public workshops are scheduled as follows:

• Pullman, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall senior lounge.
• WSU, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. in the Center for Undergraduate Education 518.
• Colfax, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. in The Center at 110 S. Main.
• Albion, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m.in the Community Center.

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