(The following story by Daniel Borunda was published in the online version of the El Paso Times)
EL PASO, Texas — Train traffic would circle El Paso, improving international commerce and easing traffic congestion, if a city-proposed multimillion-dollar project comes to fruition in the next 10-plus years.
That proposal took a step forward Tuesday when the City Council unanimously voted to request more than $240 million from Congress to plan for the Regional Intermodal Rail Project. The vote came during a meeting that was much calmer than last week’s session.
The project is “one of the most significant efforts dealing with safety and cross-border movement” in El Paso’s history, city Planning Director Pat Adauto said.
Under the proposal, Downtown rail yards would be moved to the city’s outskirts, and trains would cross into Mexico near Santa Teresa and near San Elizario, according to city documents. Railroad tracks would loop north of the city, and tracks remaining inside the city would be placed below ground level, as they are Downtown.
Plans for the rail lines are still in the “conceptual” stage, Adauto said.
The project could take 10 years or more to complete, Adauto said. The city is requesting up to $40 million a year for six years from federal transportation funds to pay for planning and design. An additional $1 million is being sought to reimburse the city for money already spent on the project.
The Central Park project could then be built on the site of the Downtown rail yards, said Mayor Ray Caballero, who has been in talks with railroad officials for months.
The project includes an intermodal hub at the airport, which would allow shippers to move freight by rail, airplane and tractor-trailer, officials said.
“When you do that, that synergy … the ability to market El Paso goes way up,” Airport Director Pat Abeln said. The hub would improve the city’s standing as a gateway for goods going to or coming from Mexico.
“The (border) gateways that will benefit in the future are the ones that make that big investment,” Abeln said.