Central Railroad Joins Burlington

The Yakima-based Washington Central Railroad Co. on Wednesday became part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. in a deal designed to give BNSF a third route to busy Pacific Coast ports.

As a result of the merger, which was first announced in April, BNSF today will begin running one train per day across the 78-mile Stampede Pass line between Auburn and Cle Elum, Wash. That could increase to five trains per day in 1997 as the company spends $125 million to restore and expand Stampede Pass.

Washington Central’s 234-mile system runs between Cle Elum and Kennewick. BNSF has two other routes to the Washington coast: Stevens Pass, which links Spokane to Everett, and the Columbia River Gorge, linking Vancouver and Pasco. , DataTimes