On February 14, 1929, the Western Pacific and Great Northern Railroads petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to link the two railroads from Keddie to Klamath Falls, it was a bold move. For Western Pacific it would consist of a 112-mile line from Keddie to Bieber. The route has many names, Inside Gateway, Northern California Extension and the widely used Highline.
It was not a slam dunk proposition. Numerous public hearings were held, as well petitions and legal briefs during the fourteenth month period. To broaden support the railroads offered passenger train service. The residents along route were excited about this prospect. On June 30, 1930 the ICC granted the railroads permission to build its proposal. On November 10, 1931 a golden spike ceremony was held at Bieber to celebrate the completion.
One of the promises broken was regular passenger service was never instituted. There were would be special excursion trains and those were few and far between. However, Western Pacific did offer limited passenger service between Keddie and Bieber., in which passengers were placed in freight train cabooses. Between 1953 and 1958 the Western Pacific said this service provided $380.89 in revenue. In 1959, Western Pacific petitioned the State Public Utilities Commission to discontinue the limited passenger service and that was granted.