The Port of Pend Oreille in Washington State has secured a $1 million grant in an effort to revive excursion service on the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. 

POVA owns and operates on former Milwaukee Road and Great Northern trackage between Metaline Falls, Wash., and Sandpoint, Idaho, where it interchanges with BNSF Railway. It began operations in 1979, when the Port of Pend Oreille purchased the former MILW line between Metaline Falls and Newport, and expanded to include the GN line to Sandpoint in 1998. The line to Metaline Falls is particularly scenic but also lacks any freight business. For years, the railroad operated scenic excursions over it in partnership with the local Lions Club. But since 2016, that part of the railroad has been out of service. 

The $1 million grant will fund the first phase of a project to repair approximately 5 miles of track between Usk and Cusick. The Port is partnering with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians to develop passenger service and anticipates hiring 6 to 10 people once excursions begin. Officials are hopeful that service could start sometime in 2028. 

—Justin Franz