The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—The Port of Columbia is just days away from signing a lease agreement with a new rail operator. Port officials plan for Frontier Rail, LLC to take over rail operations from WATCO, the current rail operator.

Frontier will repair the lines and bridges so that the Port-owned short line between Dayton and Walla Walla can be reopened and begin moving Columbia County products to distant markets, Port officials said.

Paul Didelius, the Commercial Director of Frontier Rail, attended last week’s Port meeting to help clarify some language issues in the proposed lease agreement, and to speak about...