Tacoma Rail is part of the vast North American Rail Network that includes seven class 1 railroads and more than 550 shortline and regional railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This network permits near seamless transportation of goods from coast-to-coast, Alaska to Mexico and thousands of places in between.

Tacoma Rail directly connects with three railroads for freight service. These key partners are:
  • BNSF Railway (BNSF), which serves the western half of the United States and connects with Tacoma Rail at Tacoma, East Olympia and Centralia, WA
  • Union Pacific Railroad (UP), which also serves the western United States and connects with Tacoma Rail at Tacoma and Centralia, WA
  • The Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad (PSAP), a shortline serving western Washington between Centralia, Hoquiam, Bremerton and Bangor, and connects to Tacoma Rail at Centralia, WA.
Tacoma Rail provides rail service to two ports. These key partners are:
  • Port of Tacoma, a major gateway to Asia and Alaska. The Port of Tacoma is a leading North American seaport, handling more than $36 billion in annual trade and nearly 2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units) in 2007. The Port is the seventh largest container port in North America.
  • Port of Olympia, which serves the Thurston County community in a wide variety of ways, and is a leading part of the area's economic development efforts.

More partners include:

In addition to its freight service partners, Tacoma Rail has developed the unique Train to Trek passenger excursion train in partnership with the Northwest Trek wildlife park in Eatonville, WA. This trip from Tacoma offers a full day of fun and learning with a train ride and visit to Northwest Trek. Trains operate once per month in 2008 through October, with additional runs planned for 2009.