The Tri-City Railroad (TCRY) was a privately owned Class III railroad founded by Randolph Peterson in 1999.
The rail line Tri-City Railroad operates on is located in Richland, Washington and owned by the Port of Benton. Called the Southern Connection, it was constructed between 1949 and 1950 as a link to the rail lines inside the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.[1]
Tri-City Railroad contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2005 to assist in developing the Radiation Portal Monitoring System technology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's use at railroad border crossings nationwide. In 2014, it contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to assist in testing for shock and vibration in the movement of spent nuclear fuel by rail.
In 2011, Tri-City began operating on Mare Island in California.[2]
In June 2022, the Port of Benton ended its relationship with Tri-City Railroad after a Benton County court found it had breached the terms of its 2002 lease and failed to maintain the tracks.[3] The railroad ceased operations in July 2022. In February 2023, the Port of Benton contracted with Columbia Rail Group, based in Walla Walla, Washington, to operate and maintain the tracks formerly managed by the Tri-City Railroad.[4]
