The new operation was possible after G&W signed a lease agreement with BNSF Railway to operate the tracks under the Olympia & Belmore banner. G&W railroaders from the nearby Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad began familiarizing themselves along the line over the past weeks and have started serving customers with a single Puget Sound locomotive.
Olympia & Belmore began operations March 16 in place of municipal-owned Tacoma Rail, which stopped serving the Port of Olympia and a nearby industrial park the day before.
Tacoma Rail chose not to renew its lease from BNSF after 11 years, citing revenue losses and low car counts. In August 2014, the railroad paid $430,000 to clean up an extensive diesel spill after a train struck a concrete block left between the rails by vandals.
Commodities to be carried by the Olympia & Belmore Railroad include food products, plastics, and construction materials as well as bulk items for the Port of Olympia.
The route features street running, a several-block long tunnel under Olympia, and a crossing of Capitol Lake at the foot of the Washington state capitol grounds.
