Tri-Cities Intermodal, MAC Container Line team up for agricultural exports

Tri-Cities Intermodal and MAC Container Line have formed a commercial partnership in Wallula, Washington, to expand truck-to-container agricultural transload service for exporters. The agreement is designed to give Pacific Northwest producers a closer, more efficient route to international markets, starting with new capacity for McKay Seed.

Why it matters: - The partnership gives agricultural exporters in the Pacific Northwest a new inland option for getting product into containers and moving it to overseas markets. - The Wallula model could reduce long-haul trucking over the Cascades, improve truck and driver turns and lower exposure to winter mountain conditions. - The arrangement is aimed at helping producers reach higher-value, more specialized export markets with containerized freight.

What happened: - Tri-Cities Intermodal and MAC Container Line announced a strategic commercial partnership on Sept. 9, 2026, in Wallula, Washington. - MAC Container Line will serve as the preferred logistics provider for truck-origin agricultural container exports. - The partnership links inland transload, intermodal rail and international ocean freight into one export path. - The initial investment will fund dedicated storage bins and transloading infrastructure for McKay Seed at the Wallula facility. - McKay Seed will use the new capacity to expand exports of specialized malting barley to Japan.

The details: - The Tri-Cities Intermodal Center is operated by Great Northwest Transport, which also provides local warehousing and trucking. - The facility is served by Union Pacific Railroad and Columbia Rail. - The site has an initial capacity of 75,000 lifts a year. - Tri-Cities Intermodal says the facility has a roadmap to expand significantly as traffic grows. - Wallula gives access to multiple transportation networks, including service through the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Union Pacific's domestic intermodal network, truck-to-container agricultural transload for export and rail-to-truck transload opportunities using Columbia Rail. - The partnership is intended to connect regional production, inland transload, rail and international ocean transportation for agricultural exporters.

Between the lines: - The alliance reflects a broader push to build export infrastructure closer to production areas instead of routing freight through distant transload hubs. - Containerized agricultural shipments can fit smaller-volume, higher-value products better than traditional bulk movements. - The partnership also positions Wallula as a regional logistics node for producers balancing cost, quality control and service reliability.

What's next: - The first buildout will focus on McKay Seed's dedicated transload and storage needs at the Wallula facility. - As traffic develops, Tri-Cities Intermodal expects to expand capacity beyond the current 75,000-lift base. - The partners are betting that more exporters will use the Wallula corridor as an alternative to transloading across the Cascades.

The bottom line: - Tri-Cities Intermodal and MAC Container Line are building a more integrated inland export lane for Pacific Northwest agriculture, with Wallula at the center of the strategy. - More information