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U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) recently met with Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to discuss the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad's decision to close the 136-mile Coos Bay Line. The railroad closed the line between Coquille and Vaughn, Ore., at the end of September because Central Oregon and Pacific officials consider tunnel conditions a safety hazard.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) agreed to inspect the line next week and determine necessary repairs to tunnels, DeFazio said. The FRA, which previously inspected the line in October 2006, also will evaluate the railroad's recent engineering reports.

The line's nine tunnels are more than 115 years old and three require extensive repairs to eliminate the risk of collapse, according to the Central Oregon and Pacific, which is owned by RailAmerica Inc. The railroad estimates repairs will cost about $7 million over the next five years.

"We regret any inconvenience that this closure causes our customers, but the line has become unsafe for our employees to use," said Central Oregon and Pacific General Manager Kevin Spradlin in a statement released last month. "We tried to keep it open as long as possible."

However, the railroad didn't provide adequate advance notice that it would be closing the line, leaving shippers "without a viable way to get their goods to market," said DeFazio.

"Georgia-Pacific subsequently announced it is stopping operations at its Coos Bay sawmill and laid off 120 workers indefinitely, saying the stoppage is related to the embargo of this line," he said. "While there were known problems with the line, the railroad never communicated with its customers or the Oregon Department of Transportation that the line had deteriorated so badly that an emergency closure might be necessary," DeFazio added.