(The following story by Jack Gillum appeared on the Arizona Daily Star website on May 31.)
TUCSON, Ariz. — As the nation’s rail companies brace for gridlock in the coming decades, Southern Arizona will experience the growing pains as well, industry officials and other advocates say.
The growth in rail traffic locally has Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Corp. working on a project to double-track its route all across Arizona, including Tucson. The railroad is working with the Arizona Corporation Commission because it needs permission to modify about 50 existing road crossings to go along with track expansion in the state.
Union Pacific said the number of trains per day along the line, known as the Sunset Route, will nearly double — to 84 — by 2016.
Since the 1980s, “we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of cargo that is being carried on rail,” said Zoe Richmond, a Union Pacific spokeswoman.
Richmond said the company recently signed joint agreements with Pinal County and other county cities for 26 grade-separated crossings and track expansion in the county.
At the same time, Union Pacific is pushing for a new, 1,500-acre rail yard at the base of Picacho Peak to allow for the railroad’s growth.
That project, however, is facing resistance from activists, including the Sierra Club, and has been assailed as detrimental to the environment and the area’s historic ties.
But the railroad’s statewide expansion can be beneficial, say some proponents, including state Rep. Steve Farley, a Tucson Democrat. Less-congested railways could mean fewer trucks — and less traffic — on Interstate 10, which is also undergoing expansion between the Old Pueblo and Phoenix.
Union Pacific said it plans to work with other Arizona communities to continue with its track-expansion project.