In a recent interview with Washington Business magazine, state Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald talked mostly about highways, ferries and the tax sources that pay for them. No surprise. Highways and ferries are the largest helpings on DOT’s plate.

To the degree that MacDonald discussed rail, it was in the context of mainline railroads: How could vehicular traffic crossings be bypassed and are new routes over the Cascades needed? As to short lines, the small railroads that are vital to farming communities such as the Palouse, it boiled down to this:

“… keep an eye on short-line rail needs and prospects desired by local communities and shippers all over the state.”

But who in state government will keep an eye on those needs? Who will give growers and suppliers in the farm country an assurance that their transportation challenges are taken seriously, too?

It’s easy to see why Palouse-area residents might wonder. Their lawmakers had to struggle during the recently completed legislative session in Olympia to correct an oversight that leaves their transportation circumstances tenuous.

Three years ago, the Legislature authorized the Department of Transportation to acquire 372 miles of railroad that was in danger of being shut down between Pullman and Coulee City. The Kansas company that owned and operated the track — growers in the area would question the “operated” part — had neglected upkeep, which slowed service, and was demanding steep surcharges from the shippers.

Because of a combination of factors, one segment of the line wasn’t acquired at the negotiated price, and soaring steel costs have caused the seller to ask for more than the handshake agreement provided.

This is a big deal to agricultural communities, which need a reliable and practical way to move their crops and their supplies around. Overreliance on trucks tears up highways. Rail is attractive — if it’s operated efficiently and at an affordable cost. But in a choice between unbearable rates and abandonment of the lines, the shippers lose either way.

Spokane County’s economic development future has a stake in this issue, too. The Geiger Spur, some 3.5 miles of track on and near Fairchild Air Force Base, is to be upgraded and partially rerouted in a project that will support container shipment and manufacturing on the West Plains. The Geiger Spur connects with the Palouse River Coulee City line near Medical Lake, however.

That adds to the urgency of satisfactory action by the state, not only to gain ownership of the line but also to assure that it will be well operated.

Legislators wisely reauthorized funds for the acquisition and put the deal in the hands of the Office of Financial Management instead of the Department of Transportation. The transaction is complicated, however, and legislative language says that if OFM can’t negotiate a deal it can resort to “any other alternative means available” to acquire the track and the operating rights. Can you say “eminent domain”?

If the state does wind up as both owner and operator of the Palouse River Coulee City line, though, the agency thought most likely to be put in charge is the rail division of the highway/ferry-focused Department of Transportation. If so, the shippers who depend on the short line have a right to expect a greater share of DOT’s attention.