(The Associated Press circulated the following story on April 5.)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Relocating railroad tracks and a rail yard out of Cheyenne is not feasible at this time, according to a study.
The Western Cheyenne Transportation Study was conducted to check into the idea of relocating the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline and the rail yard out of Cheyenne and off the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. The study also looked at rail-served industrial facilities, identified potential funding sources and investigated future passenger rail opportunities in Cheyenne.
“For us, the study is very useful,” Cheyenne LEADS Chief Executive Officer Randy Bruns told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.
Bruns, who served on the steering committee for this study, said a number of factors came together to make doing the study feasible, including security concerns at the base, and the possibility of tying into a passenger rail system being talked about in Colorado.
“If everyone — the Air Force base, Burlington Northern and city — had their way, the line would be relocated, but it’s not cheap,” Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Tom Mason said.
The issue has an impact wider than Cheyenne.
Mason said Fort Collins, Colo., officials also would like to see the rail line shifted out of the city’s downtown area, so that traffic is not blocked and hazardous materials are routed outside the population center.
“It’s a regional transportation issue,” he said. “Maybe that’s the reason there’s no strong recommendations.”
Even so, planners are looking ahead to the possibility that the freight line might have to be moved, and they’d like to identify and protect a corridor for a new rail line.
The report, issued earlier this year, also finds:
–If passenger rail service is established on the Front Range of northern Colorado, Cheyenne should try to link up with the line.
–A market exists for an industrial park with rail access in the Cheyenne area, but no need exists for an intermodal facility, which allows freight to be switched from one transport mode to another