(The following story by Renette McCargo appeared on the Evening Times website on December 3.)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — West Memphis Mayor Bill Johnson said the city is consulting an outside attorney about filing an injunction concerning Union Pacific’s plans to route trains through the city to the Marion Intermodal Facility. Johnson recently received a letter from UP’s Joseph Bateman Sr., the senior vice-president of governmental affairs. “This letter is self explanatory – Union Pacific plans to proceed with their original proposal and route trains through West Memphis,” Johnson said in a memorandum to city council personnel.
UP sent Johnson the letter in response to their Nov. 11 meeting.
Bateman wrote that while the railroad understands the city’s concerns, that basically work on the rails will begin soon and trains will soon follow.
Bateman said they asked an outside consultant to study the alternative routing suggested by the city. That report should be available to them in the near future.
“At this juncture, it is our intent to look at the suggested new bypass as a future alternative if the city were able to acquire the necessary funding for such a project. However, we estimate that securing Coast Guard and Corps of Engineers approval could take at least two years, which does not factor in the need to assemble the property and find the necessary public funding,” Bateman said.
Trains are not set to run through West Memphis until the line is upgraded from its current status to Federal Railroad Administration Class 2 Standards, which allows operation at 25 mph. Replacement work on railroad ties will begin soon and is expected to be completed by spring. After that, detouring trains will come through town for about three months while maintenance work is completed elsewhere.
Bateman further stated that they will not operate trains from the Marion Intermodal Facility on the same days as they are rerouting trains from their other main lines so the increase in traffic would not be nearly the magnitude discussed in the Nov. 11 meeting. Detoured trains will amount to about six a day. Once reroutes are finished, Bateman said, UP will continue to work with the city on flagmen and traffic control until they are able to work out adequate traffic control improvements along the route with AHTD and the city.
During the Nov. 11 meeting, Johnson and other city officials expressed to UP officials their concerns about safety and trains blocking emergency vehicles and prohibiting them from getting from one side of town to the hospital on the other side of town. Plus, Johnson mentioned the one fire station on the west side of the tracks and a number of large companies there also. A mile and a half long train would slow down emergency vehicles trying to get to those facilities in the event of an emergency.
Bateman responded to those concerns in his letter. He said “… the city may want to apply to the Union Pacific Foundation for additional financial assistance for emergency services. We will be glad to facilitate and support an application to the foundation.”
Johnson said in his memo to city officials, “I have also met… with Representative Denny Sumpter to discuss possible legislation to penalize the railroad for blocking our streets.”