What Tacoma Rail does

Tacoma Rail is a municipally-owned short-line freight railroad operated as a division of Tacoma Public Utilities, the City of Tacoma's public utility. Founded in 1914 as a streetcar line (the Tidelands Division), transitioned to freight-only in 1937, and transferred to Tacoma Public Utilities in 1925, Tacoma Rail today operates 43 miles of track across two divisions — the Tidelands Division and the Lakewood Subdivision (acquired from BNSF in 2004) — with 14 locomotives ranging from 1,500 to 2,300 horsepower, moving more than 20 million feet of rail equipment annually. It directly interchanges with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad at Tacoma, DuPont, and Centralia, and serves all four Port of Tacoma intermodal terminals (North Intermodal Yard, Pierce County Terminal, South Intermodal Yard, Washington United Terminals) plus 40+ industrial customers including transloaders and reloaders handling automobiles, food, forest and building products, metals, minerals, and petroleum products.

The railroad's operating technology centers on Cedar AI's Automated Rail Management System (ARMS) for railcar tracking, length and weight restrictions, car hire, demurrage, freight charge accounting, and real-time EDI communication with all North American railroads, supplemented by the Business Exchange (BEX) clearinghouse used with the Port of Tacoma and international intermodal customers. Fleet modernization includes Hotstart Diesel Driven Heating System plus ZTR SmartStart idle reduction (≈90% idling reduction), Eco-tip Super-stack fuel injectors, and EMD GP-22eco EPA Tier II repowered locomotives. The company maintains its own locomotive maintenance department that also services BNSF and Union Pacific locomotives, and operates 24/7 from its Tacoma, Washington headquarters.

Tacoma Rail generates revenue entirely through freight charges paid by customers — rates are set using public-utility cost-of-service principles rather than market pricing and are approved by the Public Utility Board and Tacoma City Council in public meetings, subject to Surface Transportation Board regulation. Switching is governed by Tariff TMBL 8807 and demurrage by TMBL 6004, with published fuel surcharges. The railroad is 100% self-supported with no taxpayer subsidy; it pays 8% of gross earnings to the City of Tacoma General Fund and 1.5% to the State of Washington. Distribution is purely direct: B2B sales through Class I railroad interchanges, Port of Tacoma partnerships, and direct customer engagement for industrial and transload clients, with public-sector pricing transparency rather than conventional marketing or sales-led GTM.

Name

Tacoma Rail

Legal name

Tacoma Rail

Website

https://tacomarail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tacoma Rail is a municipally-owned short-line freight railroad operated by Tacoma Public Utilities, serving all four Port of Tacoma intermodal terminals and 40+ industrial customers across Pierce County, Washington, on 43 miles of track with direct Class I interchanges to BNSF and Union Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Short Line Freight Railroad Services

NAICS

Short Line Railroads (482112), Line-Haul Railroads (482111)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013)

akta.pro primary industry

Short Line & Regional Railroads (General Merchandise) (TLADACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail Terminal Switching, Shunting & Yard Locomotive Services (TLAJAFAF)

Keywords

• Short line railroad
• Freight rail services
• Rail switching operations
• Intermodal terminal services
• Transloading and warehousing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: Tacoma Rail generates revenue through freight charges paid by customers using rail services. Operating expenses are covered entirely by freight revenues. The railroad is 100% self-supported with no taxpayer subsidy. Tacoma Rail pays 8% of gross earnings to the City's General Fund and 1.5% to the state of Washington.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Tacoma Rail is a municipally-owned short-line railroad that operates 43 miles of track across two divisions (Tidelands Division and Lakewood Subdivision) in Pierce County, Washington. It provides freight switching, classification, staging yard operations, and transloading services for the Port of Tacoma's four intermodal terminals and 40+ industrial customers handling automobiles, food, forest/building products, metals, minerals, and petroleum products. The railroad connects directly to BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Class I carriers and moves more than 20 million feet of rail equipment annually using a fleet of 14 locomotives.

Product overview

Tacoma Rail is a municipally-owned short line railroad operated by Tacoma Public Utilities, providing freight railroad services through two operating divisions: the Tidelands Division (serving the Port of Tacoma's intermodal terminals and industrial customers) and the Lakewood Subdivision (serving customers between Dupont and South Tacoma). The company operates 43 miles of track with 14 locomotives, moving over 20 million feet of rail equipment annually. Core services include railroad switching, classification, staging yard operations, and transloading/warehousing services. Tacoma Rail also provides locomotive maintenance services to Class I railroads (BNSF and Union Pacific). Customer-facing tools include demurrage tariff (TMBL 6004) and switching tariff (TMBL 8807) publications. The railroad connects with Class I railroads at multiple junction points and participates in the Business Exchange (BEX) clearinghouse for intermodal information sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tidelands Division Freight Services Freight rail switching and intermodal terminal service at the Port of Tacoma, serving all four intermodal terminals (North Intermodal Yard, Pierce County Terminal, South Intermodal Yard, Washington United Terminals) plus break-bulk facilities and 40 industrial customers handling automobiles, food, forest/building products, metals, minerals, and petroleum products.
• Lakewood Subdivision Freight Service Freight service operating between Dupont and South Tacoma including Lakewood Industrial Park, generally twice a week via BNSF interchange at DuPont. Acquired from BNSF Railway in 2004.
• Track Classification and Staging Yard Services Railroad switching, classification, and staging yard operations including multiple expansion projects adding tracks and staging capacity at the Tidelands Division to serve intermodal trade.
• Transloading and Reload Services Rail-to-truck transfer and warehousing services for non-rail-served customers along Tacoma Rail lines, handling dry bulk, liquid bulk, breakbulk, refrigerated, food grade, container stuffing, transloading, and dimensional loads.
• Locomotive Maintenance Services Locomotive maintenance department that services locomotives of two Class I railroads (BNSF and Union Pacific), providing value-added services across Tacoma Rail's 14-locomotive fleet of 1,500 to 2,300 horsepower units ranging from 1965 to 2016 build years, including EMD GP-22eco repowered units.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BNSF RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClass I railroad connecting with Tacoma Rail at Tacoma, Dupont and Centralia, Washington. BNSF serves the western half of the United States. Tacoma Rail is a switch carrier for BNSF with freight charges included in BNSF rates.
• Union Pacific RailroadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClass I railroad connecting with Tacoma Rail at Tacoma and Centralia. Also serves western United States. Tacoma Rail provides service to certain industries accessible to Union Pacific under BNSF's switching or haulage arrangements.
• Port of TacomacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor gateway to Asia and Alaska, leading North American seaport and one of the largest container ports in North America. Tacoma Rail provides rail service to the Port, which is served by both Class I railroads.
• Cedar AIcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Cedar AI's Automated Rail Management System (ARMS) used by Tacoma Rail for tracking railcars, length/weight restrictions, car hire, demurrage, freight charges, and real-time EDI communication with all North American railroads.
• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA)coreOthersNational trade association for short line and regional railroads. Tacoma Rail has served as Pacific Region Board member (2016-2023) and participates in Engineering and Mechanical Committees. Has earned Jake Safety Award five times.
• West Coast CollaborativeminorOthersEPA public-private partnership to reduce diesel emissions along the West Coast. Tacoma Rail participates as part of environmental commitment.
• SmartWay Transport PartnershipminorOthersEPA collaboration with freight industry to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution. Tacoma Rail participates as part of environmental commitment.
• Operation LifesaverminorOthersInternational nonprofit education and awareness program dedicated to ending collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way. Tacoma Rail works in conjunction with this organization for public safety outreach.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tacoma Rail