List of Washington (state) railroads
The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Washington.
Common freight carriers
- Ballard Terminal Railroad
- BNSF Railway
- Cascade & Columbia River Railroad
- Washington Railroad
- Columbia Basin Railroad
- Columbia and Cowlitz Railway
- Columbia Walla Walla Railroad
- Eastside Freight Railroad
- Frontier Rail
- Great Northwest Railroad
- Kennewick Terminal Railroad
- Kettle Falls International Railway
- Meeker Southern Railroad
- Mount Vernon Terminal Railway
- Olympia and Belmore Railroad
- Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad
- Patriot Woods Railroad
- Pend Oreille Valley Railroad
- Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad operates Lewis and Clark Railway
- Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad
- Rainier Rail
- St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad
- Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway
- Tri-City Railroad
- Tacoma Rail
- Union Pacific Railroad
- Washington Eastern Railroad (WER)
- Washington Royal Line
Private freight carriers
- Greenbrier Rail Services
- Longview Switching Company
- United States Army
Passenger carriers
- Amtrak
- Chehalis–Centralia Railroad
- Chelatchie Prairie Railroad
- Lake Whatcom Railway
- Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
- Seattle Streetcar
- Snoqualmie Valley Railroad
- Sound Transit
- Yakima Electric Railway Museum
Defunct railroads
| Name | Mark | System | From | To | Successor | Notes |
| Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad | MILW | 1883 | 1912 | Bellingham & Northern Railway | - | |
| *Bellingham International Railroad | BIRR | BNSF | 1995 | - | ||
| Bellingham Bay and Eastern Railroad | NP | 1891 | 1903 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Bellingham and Northern Railway | MILW | 1912 | 1918 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - | |
| Bellingham Terminals and Railway Company | MILW | 1909 | 1912 | Bellingham and Northern Railway | - | |
| Blakely Railroad | 1896 | 1917 | N/A | - | ||
| Blue Mountain Railroad | BLMR | 1992 | 1999 | Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad | - | |
| BNSF Acquisition, Inc. | 1996 | 2008 | BNSF Railway, Columbia Basin Railroad | - | ||
| Burlington Northern Inc. | BN | 1970 | 1981 | Burlington Northern Railroad | - | |
| Burlington Northern Railroad | BN | 1981 | 1996 | Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway | - | |
| Burlington Northern (Oregon–Washington) Inc. | 1981 | 1985 | Burlington Northern Railroad | - | ||
| Camas Prairie RailNet | CSP | 1998 | 2004 | Great Northwest Railroad | - | |
| Camas Prairie Railroad | CSP | NP/ UP | 1909 | 1998 | Camas Prairie RailNet | - |
| Cascades Railroad | UP | 1859 | N/A | - | ||
| Central Washington Railroad | NP | 1888 | 1898 | Washington Central Railway | - | |
| Centralia Eastern Railroad | NP | 1907 | 1917 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Chehalis and Cowlitz Railway | GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP | 1911 | 1916 | Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway | - | |
| Chehalis Western Railroad | 1980 | 1992 | Tacoma Eastern Railway | - | ||
| Chehalis Western Railroad | 1936 | 1975 | Curtis, Milburn and Eastern Railroad | - | ||
| Chelatchie Prairie Railroad | CCPR | 1981 | 1986 | Lewis and Clark Railway | - | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway | CM&PS | MILW | 12/31/1908 | 1/1/1913 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - |
| Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | MILW | 1912 | 1928 | Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad | - | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington | MILW | 1906 | 1909 | Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway | - | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad | MILW | MILW | 1928 | 1980 | Chehalis Western Railroad, Pend Oreille Valley Railroad, Seattle and North Coast Railroad | - |
| Clealum Railroad | NP | 1886 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Clearwater Short Line Railway | NP | 1898 | 1914 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Columbia Railway and Navigation Company | GN/ NP | 1890 | 1902 | Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | - | |
| Columbia and Palouse Railroad | UP | 1882 | 1910 | Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad | GN | 1880 | 1916 | Pacific Coast Railroad | - | |
| Columbia and Red Mountain Railway | GN | 1895 | 1907 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Columbia River and Northern Railway | GN/ NP | 1902 | 1908 | Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | - | |
| Columbia Valley Railroad | UP | 1899 | 1907 | Ilwaco Railroad | - | |
| Connell Northern Railway | NP | 1909 | 1914 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway | GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP | 1916 | 1955 | N/A | - | |
| Curtis, Milburn and Eastern Railroad | CMER | 1973 | 1993 | N/A | - | |
| Eastern-Washington Railroad | UP | 1904 | Spokane – Columbia River Railroad and Navigation Company | - | ||
| Eastern Washington Railway | NP | 1885 | 1886 | Spokane and Palouse Railway | - | |
| Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad | EWG | 2007 | 2018 | Washington Eastern Railroad | - | |
| Eastside Railway | UP | 1896 | 1914 | Olympia Terminal Railway | - | |
| Everett and Cherry Valley Traction Company | GN | 1907 | 1912 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Everett and Monte Cristo Railway | NP | 1892 | 1900 | Monte Cristo Railway, Seattle and International Railway | - | |
| Fairhaven and Southern Railroad | GN | 1888 | 1898 | Seattle and Montana Railroad | - | |
| Farmers' Railway, Navigation and Steamboat Portage Company | GN/ NP | 1885 | 1890 | Farmers' Transportation Company | - | |
| Farmers' Transportation Company | GN/ NP | 1890 | 1890 | Columbia Railway and Navigation Company | - | |
| Grays Harbor and Puget Sound Railway | UP | 1906 | 1910 | Oregon and Washington Railroad | - | |
| Great Northern Railway | GN | GN | 1890 | 1970 | Burlington Northern Inc. | - |
| Green River and Northern Railroad | NP | 1890 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Hartford Eastern Railway | HE | 1915 | 1933 | N/A | - | |
| H and H Railroad | 1904 | 1938 | - | |||
| Idaho and Washington Northern Railroad | I&WN | MILW | 1907 | 1916 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - |
| Idaho and Western Railway | MILW | 1909 | 1912 | Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway | - | |
| Ilwaco Railroad | UP | 1907 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company | UP | 1888 | 1907 | Ilwaco Railroad | - | |
| Klickitat Northern Railroad | 1914 | 1918 | N/A | - | ||
| Kootenai Valley Railway | GN | 1898 | 1913 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Lake Creek and Coeur d'Alene Railroad | UP | 1906 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Lewis and Clark Railway | LINC | 1987 | 2004 | Columbia Basin Railroad | - | |
| Longview, Portland and Northern Railway | LPN | 1922 | 1981 | Chelatchie Prairie Railroad | - | |
| Mason County Central Railroad | 1889 | 1891 | Shelton Southwestern Railroad | - | ||
| Montana Rail Link | MRL | BNSF | 10/31/1987 | 1/1/2024 | BNSF | - |
| Mill Creek Railroad | NP | 1903 | 1905 | Washington and Columbia River Railway | - | |
| Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company | NP | 1880 | 1903 | Mill Creek Railroad | - | |
| Monte Cristo Railway | NP | 1900 | 1903 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Mud Bay Logging Company | 1910 | 1943 | - | |||
| Newaukum Railroad | 1914 | 1914 | Newaukum Valley Railroad | - | ||
| Newaukum Valley Railroad | NV | 1914 | 1943 | N/A | - | |
| North Coast Railroad | NCRR | UP | 1906 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - |
| North Coast Railway | NCRY | UP | 1905 | 1906 | North Coast Railroad | - |
| North Yakima and Valley Railway | NP | 1905 | 1914 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Northern Pacific Railroad | NP | 1864 | 1896 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Northern Pacific Railway | NP | NP | 1896 | 1970 | Burlington Northern Inc. | - |
| Northern Pacific and Cascade Railroad | NP | 1884 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad | NP | 1884 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Olympia Railroad Union | NP | 1874 | 1877 | Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad | - | |
| Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad | NP | 1881 | 1891 | Port Townsend Southern Railroad | - | |
| Olympia Southern Railway | MILW | 1913 | 1913 | Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway | - | |
| Olympia Terminal Railway | MILW, UP | 1911 | 1915 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway | - | |
| Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | UP | 1896 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon Railway Extensions Company | UP | 1888 | 1896 | Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon Railway and Navigation Company | UP | 1879 | 1896 | Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon Steam Navigation Company | UP | 1860 | 1880 | Oregon Railway and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon Short Line Railway | UP | 1887 | 1889 | Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway | - | |
| Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway | UP | 1889 | 1896 | N/A | Leased the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company | |
| Oregon Trunk Railway | OT | GN/ NP | 1909 | 1981 | Burlington Northern (Oregon–Washington) Inc. | - |
| Oregon and Washington Railroad | UP | 1906 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | OWR&N | UP | 1910 | 1987 | Union Pacific Railroad | - |
| Oregon, Washington and Idaho Railroad | UP | 1903 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Oregon and Washington Territory Railroad | NP | 1886 | 1892 | Washington and Columbia River Railway | - | |
| Pacific Railway | MILW | 1905 | 1906 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington | - | |
| Pacific Coast Railroad | PC | GN | 1916 | 1970 | Burlington Northern Inc. | - |
| Pacific and Eastern Railway | MILW | 1906 | 1913 | Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway | - | |
| Port Angeles Western Railroad | 1925 | 1950 | N/A | - | ||
| Port Ludlow, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway | MILW | 1911 | 1911 | Seattle, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway | - | |
| Port Townsend Railroad | PTRR | MILW | 1945 | 1975 | Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad | - |
| Port Townsend and Puget Sound Railway | 1914 | 1929 | N/A | Leased the Port Townsend Southern Railroad | ||
| Port Townsend Southern Railroad | MILW, NP | 1887 | 1945 | Port Townsend Railroad | - | |
| Portland and Puget Sound Railroad | NP | 1889 | Washington and Oregon Railway | - | ||
| Portland and Seattle Railway | GN/ NP | 1905 | 1908 | Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | - | |
| Portland, Vancouver and Yakima Railway | NP | 1897 | 1903 | Washington Railway and Navigation Company | - | |
| Priest Rapids Railway | MILW | 1907 | 1910 | Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway | - | |
| Puget Sound and Cascade Railway | 1912 | 1939 | Mount Vernon Terminal Railway | - | ||
| Puget Sound and Grays Harbor Railroad and Transportation Company | NP | 1886 | 1896 | Blakely Railroad, United Railroads of Washington | - | |
| Puget Sound Shore Railroad | NP | 1882 | 1889 | Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad | - | |
| Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway | MILW | 1913 | 1918 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - | |
| Republic and Kettle Valley Railway | 1900 | 1906 | Spokane and British Columbia Railway | - | ||
| St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway | GN | 1879 | 1907 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Sea Lion Railroad | 1997 | 1998 | Ballard Terminal Railroad | - | ||
| Seattle and International Railway | NP | 1896 | 1901 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway | SLS&E | NP | 1885 | 1896 | Seattle and International Railway, Spokane and Seattle Railway | - |
| Seattle and Montana Railroad | GN | 1898 | 1907 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Seattle and Montana Railway | GN | 1890 | 1898 | Seattle and Montana Railroad | - | |
| Seattle and North Coast Railroad | SNCT | 1979 | 1984 | N/A | - | |
| Seattle and Northern Railway | GN | 1888 | 1902 | Seattle and Montana Railroad | - | |
| Seattle, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway | MILW | 1911 | 1915 | Seattle, Port Angeles and Western Railway | - | |
| Seattle, Port Angeles and Western Railway | MILW | 1915 | 1918 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - | |
| Seattle and San Francisco Railway and Navigation Company | NP | 1899 | 1903 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Seattle Southeastern Railway | MILW | 1906 | 1912 | Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway | - | |
| Seattle Terminal Railway and Elevator Company | NP | 1890 | 1903 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad | GN | 1876 | 1880 | Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad | - | |
| Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company | GN | 1873 | 1876 | Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad | - | |
| Seattle and West Coast Railway | NP | 1887 | 1888 | Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway | - | |
| Shelton Southwestern Railroad | 1891 | 1898 | Shelton Southwestern Railway | - | ||
| Shelton Southwestern Railway | 1898 | N/A | - | |||
| Snake River Valley Railroad | UP | 1898 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Snohomish, Skykomish and Spokane Railway and Transportation Company | NP | 1889 | 1892 | Everett and Monte Cristo Railway | - | |
| Spokane and British Columbia Railway | 1906 | 1919 | N/A | - | ||
| Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Palouse Railway | SC&P | GN | 1926 | 1943 | Great Northern Railway | Electric until 1941 |
| Spokane – Columbia River Railroad and Navigation Company | UP | 1905 | 1906 | North Coast Railroad | - | |
| Spokane Falls and Idaho Railroad | NP | 1886 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Spokane Falls and Northern Railway | SF&N | GN | 1888 | 1907 | Great Northern Railway | - |
| Spokane International Railroad | SI, SIRY | UP | 1941 | subsidiary in 1958, merged 1987 | Union Pacific Railroad | - |
| Spokane International Railway | UP | 1905 | 1941 | Spokane International Railroad | - | |
| Spokane and Palouse Railway | NP | 1886 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | SP&S, SPS | GN/ NP | 1908 | 1979 | Burlington Northern Inc. | - |
| Spokane and Seattle Railway | NP | 1896 | 1900 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Spokane Union Depot Company | UP | 1900 | 1910 | Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Tacoma Eastern Railroad | MILW | 1890 | 1918 | Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway | - | |
| Tacoma Eastern Railway | TE | 1995 | 1998 | Tacoma Rail | - | |
| Tacoma Municipal Belt Line Railway | TMBL | 1998 | Tacoma Rail | - | ||
| Tacoma, Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad | NP | 1889 | 1890 | Tacoma, Olympia and Grays Harbor Railroad | - | |
| Tacoma, Olympia and Grays Harbor Railroad | NP | 1890 | 1892 | United Railroads of Washington | - | |
| Tacoma, Orting and Southeastern Railroad | NP | 1888 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Thurston Railroad Construction Company | NP | 1877 | 1881 | Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad | - | |
| Toppenish, Simcoe and Western Railway | NP | 1909 | 1912 | North Yakima and Valley Railway | - | |
| Union Depot Company of Spokane Falls | UP | 1889 | 1898 | Spokane Union Depot Company | - | |
| United Railroads of Washington | NP | 1890 | 1898 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Vancouver, Klickitat and Yakima Railroad | NP | 1887 | 1897 | Portland, Vancouver and Yakima Railway | - | |
| Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad | UP | 1868 | 1910 | Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Walla Walla Valley Railway | WWV | NP | 1910 | 1985 | N/A | Electric until 1949 |
| Washington Railway and Navigation Company | NP | 1903 | 1903 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Washington Central Railroad | WCRC | 1986 | 1996 | BNSF Acquisition, Inc., Columbia Basin Railroad | - | |
| Washington Central Railway | NP | 1898 | 1914 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Washington and Columbia River Railway | NP | 1892 | 1907 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Washington Electric Railway | GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP | 1912 | 1916 | Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway | - | |
| Washington and Great Northern Railway | GN | 1901 | 1907 | Great Northern Railway | - | |
| Washington and Idaho Railroad | UP | 1886 | 1896 | Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | - | |
| Washington and Idaho Railway | WIR | WSDOT | 2006 | 2019 | Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway | - |
| Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway | WI&M | MILW | 1905 | 1980 | Burlington Northern Inc. | - |
| Washington Northern Railway | UP | 1906 | 1906 | Oregon and Washington Railroad | - | |
| Washington and Oregon Railway | NP | 1900 | 1903 | Washington Railway and Navigation Company | - | |
| Washington Short Line Railway | NP | 1888 | 1900 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Washington Western Railway | WTW | 1912 | 1929 | N/A | - | |
| Waterville Railway | 1909 | 1948 | N/A | - | ||
| Western American Company | NP | 1896 | 1901 | Northern Pacific Railway | - | |
| Yakima and Pacific Coast Railroad | NP | 1890 | 1892 | United Railroads of Washington | - |
;Electric
- Aberdeen Electric Company
- Arlington Heights Motor Railway
- City Park Railway
- Coeur d'Alene and Spokane Railway
- Everett Railway and Electric Company
- Everett Railway, Light and Water Company
- Grays Harbor Railway and Light Company
- Grays Harbor Electric Company
- Inland Empire Railroad
- Loyal Railway
- North Shore Electric Company
- Olympia Light and Power Company
- Pacific Northwest Traction Company
- Pacific Traction Company
- Puget Sound Electric Railway
- Puget Sound International Railway and Power Company
- Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company
- Ross Park Street Railway
- Seattle Electric Company
- Seattle Municipal Railway
- Seattle and Rainier Beach Railway
- Seattle and Renton Railway
- Seattle, Renton and Southern Railway
- South Bend Electric Company
- Spokane Cable Railway
- Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Palouse Railway
- Spokane and Eastern Railway and Power Company
- Spokane Electric Railway
- Spokane and Inland Railway
- Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad
- Spokane Street Railway
- Spokane Traction Company
- Tacoma Railway and Motor Company
- Tacoma Railway and Power Company
- Tacoma Railways
- Tacoma Traction Company
- Twin City Electric Company
- Twin City Light and Traction Company
- Vancouver Traction Company
- Walla Walla Valley Railway
- Walla Walla Valley Traction Company
- Washington–Oregon Corporation
- Washington Water Power Company
- Whatcom County Railway and Light Company
- Willapa Electric Company
- Willapa Harbor Railway
- Yakima Valley Transportation Company