Rail Freight Carriers in

Idaho

A Boise Valley Railroad freight train, unidentified location.
The locomotives are EMD Bo-Bo diesel electrics: 3502 owned by Boise Valley is a GP38-2 of 2000hp, and 3853 a leased GP35 of 2500hp.

Long Haul Railways

BNSF, Union Pacific

International Railway

• Union Pacific meets Canadian Pacific Railway at the Canadian border between Eastport and Kingsgate BC

Regional & Local Railways

• Boise Valley Railroad two separate lines, linked by trackage rights over Union Pacific:
  • Caldwell (interchange with Union Pacific) to Wilder, about 11 miles (18 km)
  • Nampa (interchange with Union Pacific) via Boise to Hillcrest (interchange with City of Boise), about 25 miles (40 km)
• Bountiful Grain & Craig Mountain Railroad Forebay (interchange with Great Northwest Railroad) via Spalding (branch to Culdesac) and Orofino (branch to Jaype) to Stites. Total length of line about 75 miles (120 km)
• City of Boise Railroad proposed operation on the City owned line between Orchard (interchange with Union Pacific) to Hillcrest (interchange with Boise Valley), about 18 miles (29 km). Although this is a longstanding proposal it does not appear that any progress has been made towards opening in over a decade (No website located at present)
• Eastern Idaho Railroad two groups of lines:
  • Idaho Falls (interchange with Union Pacific) via Orvin (branch to Newdale, with a subbranch from Lincoln to Ammon) and Ucon (branch to Menan) to Ashton
  • Minidoka (interchange with Union Pacific) via Rupert (branch to Wendell) and Burley (branches to Decio and Martin) to Buhl
  Total length of line about 265 miles (426 km).
• Frontier Rail switching services at Simplot, Mountain Home, interchanging with Union Pacific
• Great Northwest Railroad Forebay (interchange with Bountiful Grain & Craig Mountain) via Lewiston to Riparia WA (trackage rights over Union Pacific to Ayer for interchange with BNSF, Palouse River & Coulee City and Union Pacific); total line length about 85 miles (138 km)
• Idaho National Laboratory switching services at the Materials and Fuels Complex at Scoville, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Idaho Falls; Union Pacific operates over a private railway connecting the complex with the main line (Website contains no information relating to railway)
• Idaho Northern & Pacific Railroad Payette (interchange with Union Pacific) to Caberton. A second line is located in OR. Total length of both lines about 174 miles (119 km)
• Pend Oreille Valley Railroad Dover (interchange with BNSF and Union Pacific) via Alberni Falls to Metaline Falls WA, about 87 miles (140 km)
• St Maries River Railroad Plummer (interchange with Union Pacific) to Bovill; about 91 miles (146 km). Believed to be currently operating only between Plummer and St Maries, although the remaining section to Bovill has not been officially notified as being out of service.
• Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway company formed to provide service on the disused line from the Washington State boundary near Palouse, WA, to Bovill, about 44 miles (70 km). An initial service is expected to be provided from the boundary to Princeton, about 18 miles (29 km). There will be interchange with Spokane Spangle & Palouse at or near Palouse.