Portland & Western Railroad

Portland & Western Railroad (reporting mark PNWR) is a short-line freight railroad operating in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States. It began operations in 1993 and is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., one of the largest short-line and regional railroad holding companies in North America. The railroad provides freight service over a network of lines in northwestern Oregon, connecting shippers to Class I railroads and ports. Its traffic base includes agricultural products, forest products, chemicals, and industrial goods. The company is headquartered in Albany, Oregon. As a Genesee & Wyoming property, Portland & Western operates within a large family of short-line railroads, benefiting from shared management and operational resources. The railroad plays a role in regional freight logistics, linking local industries to the broader North American rail network.

Portland & Western Railroad began operations in 1993 as a short-line railroad in Oregon. It was established to provide freight service over lines in the Willamette Valley and surrounding areas. In subsequent years, the railroad became part of the Genesee & Wyoming Inc. family of short-line railroads. Genesee & Wyoming, founded in 1899, grew into a major operator of short-line and regional freight railroads across North America, and Portland & Western operates as one of its subsidiaries. The railroad has maintained a focus on serving local industries, including agriculture, forest products, and manufacturing, by connecting them to the national rail network. Its headquarters are in Albany, Oregon. As of the present, Portland & Western continues to operate freight service under the Genesee & Wyoming umbrella.

• 1993

  Portland & Western Railroad begins operations as a short-line railroad in Oregon.

• Becomes a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Regional short-line freight railroad serving Oregon's Willamette Valley as part of the Genesee & Wyoming network.

• Freight rail transportation

  Short-line freight service in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

• 2025

  Oregon DEQ fines Portland & Western Railroad $81,600 for Marys River waste discharge

  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a civil penalty of $81,600 to Portland & Western Railroad over a January 4, 2025, trestle collapse and train derailment in Corvallis. The incident released approximately 199.28 tons of urea into the Marys River over nine days. DEQ also ordered the railroad to submit a report identifying all wooden trestle bridges over water bodies in Oregon that it owns and maintains. The event is recorded as a regulatory controversy involving the railroad and the state environmental agency.

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• 2025-11-25

  Oregon DEQ fines Portland & Western Railroad $81,600 for Marys River waste discharge[3]Oregon DEQ fines Portland & Western Railroad $81,600 for Marys River waste dischargekval.com

  Reported: 2026-01-02

  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a civil penalty of $81,600 to Portland & Western Railroad over a January 4, 2025 trestle collapse and train derailment in Corvallis that released approximately 199.28 tons of urea into the Marys River over nine days. DEQ also ordered the railroad to submit a report identifying all wooden trestle bridges over water bodies in Oregon that it owns and maintains.

1. 1Portland and Western Railroad - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Genesee & Wyoming - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
3. 3Oregon DEQ fines Portland & Western Railroad $81,600 for Marys River waste dischargekval.com