HOUSTON — An official with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. is offering to drop controversial plans for a 13-mile rail line through southeast Houston in exchange for concessions from Union Pacific Railroad, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Charles L. Schultz, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Burlington Northern, said his proposal would eliminate the need for the rail line planned by his company and others that make up the San Jacinto Rail Limited partnership.
A day after hearing from Clear Lake-area residents who oppose the rail line, the Houston City Council on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution against it.
Council members lambasted representatives of the partnership, saying the plan would not have provoked so much anger if rail officials had worked with the community from the beginning.
The rail line would run from Texas 3, south of Ellington Field, to the Bayport Industrial District. Schultz’s proposed alternative would give the partnership access to Bayport via Union Pacific’s route through Pasadena, Deer Park Junction and the Strang Yard, corridors that parallel Texas 225 from east to west and Texas 146 from north to south.
“This arrangement would avoid, altogether, any disruption to the local communities and environment, which doesn’t already exist today,” Schultz wrote to John J. Koraleski, executive vice president of marketing and sales for Union Pacific. “This alternative would result in a competitive service offering without the need for development of an otherwise redundant route.”
Schultz said Burlington Northern and the partnership would be willing to fund some infrastructure improvements on the existing Union Pacific’s route into Bayport and would bear the cost of upgrading Union Pacific’s tracks in and around Bayport.
Richard Russack, a Burlington Northern spokesman, said Union Pacific officials already have said that there is available capacity on the existing track.
“We have heard the concerns of the community, we’ve heard the concerns of the local public officials, and we are trying in good faith to address them while at the same time meeting the needs of our business partners for competitive rail transportation,” Russack said. “We believe our proposal is a win-win.”
Many Clear Lake-area residents oppose the line, citing environmental concerns, safety, noise and the route’s proximity to schools, parks and homes.
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said company officials are studying Schultz’s proposal but added that it does not appear to be in line with terms of a merger between Union Pacific and Southern Pacific years ago.
San Jacinto Rail Ltd. comprises Burlington Northern, Atofina Petrochemicals, Basell USA, Equistar Chemicals and Lyondell Chemical Co. The partnership hoped to start construction on the $80 million project during the first quarter of 2003 and begin operating by mid-2004.
In his March 1 letter, Schultz also recommends that an additional parallel track be added from Alvin to Houston at Burlington Northern’s expense. The track, which would accommodate 20 to 26 Union Pacific trains daily, would reduce the frequency of blocked crossings in Alvin and South Houston, he said. He added that he and Burlington Northern officials are open to alternative Union Pacific proposals.
In adopting its resolution against the rail line as planned, the City Council rejected Burlington Northern’s request to delay action, saying it did not trust the company to keep its word.
“These companies have deliberately given false information to the community,” Councilwoman Ada Edwards said.
Several residents of that area spoke against the proposal at Tuesday’s council session, saying it would endanger schools, the water plant and neighborhoods.
“This rail line will cut southeast Houston in half,” Clear Lake City resident Ann Rice Claire said.