Bringing rail service back to Ritzville

Committed citizens envision the hopeful return of passenger rail service to eastern Adams County

Brandon Cline, Managing Editor | Last updated Jan 14, 2020 7:14am0

Brandon Cline/The Ritzville Journal count

Train enthusiast Charles Jingling gives a presentation in front of a small audience at the Railroad Depot Museum on Jan. 2. Jingling is one of several Ritzville residents trying to gin up interest in bringing passenger rail service back to town.

A passenger train hasn't stopped regularly in Ritzville for nearly 50 years, but a committed group of citizens is looking to change that fact after recent movement at both the state and local level.

The newly found interest in bringing back passenger rail service to Ritzville began last year, when $250,000 was set aside in the state's $10 billion 2019-21 transportation budget to conduct a study of the feasibility of an east-west intercity passenger rail system. The proposed system would span from Seattle to Spokane and also include stops in Auburn, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Yakima, Pasco and Ritzv...