(The following story by Leslie Wimmer appeared on the Fort Worth Business Press website on January 19, 2009. Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series.)
FORT WORTH, Texas — Congestion on Texas’ railroad tracks is another issue on the list of transportation problems state legislators will face this session.
Congested railroad tracks can slow down freight deliveries, cause pollution and leave trains blocking intersections, said Fort Worth City Council member Jungus Jordan.
Fort Worth is home to what most people say is the most congested rail yard in the country: Tower 55, located under the intersections of Interstates 35-W and 30, an area once known colloquially as the “Mixmaster.”
Jordan and other transportation officials across the state are looking to push for funding to the state’s Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund, which was created by voters in 2005 and remains empty.
The Austin-based Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association plans to push state lawmakers to begin adding money to the fund to start rail projects across the state, including improvements to and the possible relocation of Fort Worth’s Tower 55 rail yard and Union Pacific’s Davidson Yard at Hulen Street and Vickery Boulevard.
But, moving the rail yards outside of Fort Worth could cause trouble for freight business by moving rail lines away from customers and adding miles to routes which would create additional fuel costs, said Union Pacific spokesperson Clint Schelbitzki.
Tower 55 is a leading cause of rail congestion across Texas, said Bruce Todd, former mayor of Austin and executive director of the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association.
“From a business standpoint, from an economic standpoint, from an environmental standpoint, freight rail is a good thing, a very good thing, for Texas,” Todd said. “But, in many places, these tracks were put in 50 to 100 years ago, in a time when the state was much less urban and much less developed. Now, thousands of tons of freight comes through the Texas border into other states. These trains need to get through Texas, and Tower 55 in Fort Worth is the most congested rail yard in the country.”
Sixteen major rail lines heading north, south, east and west move through Tower 55 daily, Jordan said, causing congestion which leaves freight trains sitting for sometimes hours.
The delays cause troubles for businesses needing to deliver freight and for air quality in the region, Jordan said.
According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, more than 20 percent of nitrogen oxide pollution coming from sources not located on North Texas roads comes from idling trains.
“A multitude of potential solutions have been brought up to fix this, and some of them are more just Band-Aids for right now,” Jordan said. “The solutions are all $200 billion to $500 billion each.”
One solution proposed to relieving congestion at Tower 55 is to add more rail road tracks to increase flow, which would be a “$200 million short-term fix,” Jordan said.
Another solution is to build a freight rail overpass going east and west above the rail yard.
But, in order to build the overpass, the Mixmaster interchange at I-35W and I-30 would have to be raised higher, Jordan said.
A third solution that has been proposed is to build a trench going north and south underneath I-35, which would begin five miles north and end five miles south of the rail yard.
“By making a trench and starting that far back, you get into right of way issues and large costs,” Jordan said.
Another solution is to move both Tower 55 and Union Pacific’s Davidson Yard into Parker County.
Jordan expects to see cost estimates on moving both rail yards in February or March, he said.
But, moving the rail yard could have consequences on Union Pacific’s ability to do business, Schelbitzki said.
“When we look at rail relocation, our lines have been in place for years and sometimes hundreds of years, and they are there because that is the most competitive place in terms of where our customers are,” Schelbitzki said. “We have to be able to maintain competition for our customers, and if you’re looking at relocating us out of town, our customers may still be in town.
“And, when you add mileage to our routes, that adds costs such as fuel. And, if you increase fuel, you increase miles by 30 or 40 miles in a route, we have to increase fuel consumption hundreds of thousands of times as trains go by there. It adds up pretty quick,” Schelbitzki said.