By Gordon Dickson - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Friday, May 15, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas — Two of the nation's largest railroads are seeking $70 million in federal stimulus money to lay tracks at the notoriously congested Tower 55 rail intersection near downtown Fort Worth.
Construction of a third north-south rail line at Tower 55 would reduce diesel emissions, speed traffic flow on area roads and improve safety at railroad crossings.
Officials from Fort Worth-based BNSF and Union Pacific, based in Omaha, Neb., say that although the new track would remain private property, the project enjoys wide support from public officials.
The request for funding will likely be made within weeks by the Texas Department of Transportation or another public agency on behalf of the railroads. The project will compete with other nationally strategic rail, port and road projects for $1.5 billion in discretionary funding to be disbursed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
"We won’t have trains sitting and people sitting and waiting for trains to get out of the way," said Nate Asplund, BNSF director of public private partnerships. "It will be a reduction in at-grade crossing delays and a definite improvement in air quality."
If the bid for federal funding is successful, it would be a rare sign of progress on Tower 55, which has been under study by regional planners for more than five years.
The intersection, which features two rail lines running east-west and two running north-south, is one of the most congested in the U.S. About 112 trains pass through the intersection each day, and trains are often queued up on side tracks across Tarrant County, their diesel engines idling, while waiting their turn to go through.
The long-term plan is to dig a trench and move one set of Tower 55 railroad tracks below the other — but no funding sources have been identified for that $700 million-plus project.
Read more in Fort Star-Telegram
Showing posts with label Tower 55. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tower 55. Show all posts
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Friday, November 23, 2007
Easing Fort Worth's Rail Jam
By 5hd NBC5i.com, November 14, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Tower 55, the busiest at-grade railroad intersection in the United States, is the subject of an environmental assessment that could find ways to improve air quality, safety, and movement at the congested spot.
Named for a two-story wooden railroad building on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, the Tower 55 intersection is typically backed up with idling locomotives that sit there emitting clouds of diesel exhaust into the air.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments, NCTCOG, hosted two public meetings at the Fort Worth Central Library Tuesday to discuss issues surrounding Tower 55 and the plans for an estimated $300 million improvement of the rail intersection.
More than 100 freight trains and 70 passenger trains pass through and adjacent to Tower 55, and wait time for trains to use the crossing averages 90 minutes.
Several different rail lines converge at Tower 55, including the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Union Pacific Railroad, Fort Worth & Western Railroad, Amtrak, and the Trinity Railway Express.
In addition to creating air pollution, the rail jam impedes the distribution of goods and blocks the possibility of expanding commuter rail service in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
NCTCOG staff introduced eight improvement alternatives under consideration at the public meetings. They include a third north-south track at grade, a north-south track in a trench, an east-west fly-over elevated track, and a bypass for the Forth Worth and Western Railroad.
Even as locomotives pile up at Tower 55, NCTCOG planners are watching the demand for rail access to the intersection steadily increase.
If the rate of traffic at Tower 55 continues to grow, by 2010 all trains needing access in an average 24 hour period will not be able to pass through, the public meetings were told.
This growth is caused by the continuous increase in regional economic activity, changes to the national freight rail network, and international trade, which indicates demand for access to the Tower 55 interchange is likely to grow in the near future.
According to the Texas State Rail Plan, rail is the primary mode of moving goods in the region, and to and from the west coast. These goods must pass through Tower 55 before moving throughout the region, the nation, or internationally.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments says that if a remedy is not found for the problems at Tower 55, companies in freight oriented developments throughout the region will be faced with two options - stay in the region and deal with the congestion issues and unreliability of shipments or move out of the region to a more reliable, less congested location.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Tower 55, the busiest at-grade railroad intersection in the United States, is the subject of an environmental assessment that could find ways to improve air quality, safety, and movement at the congested spot.
Named for a two-story wooden railroad building on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, the Tower 55 intersection is typically backed up with idling locomotives that sit there emitting clouds of diesel exhaust into the air.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments, NCTCOG, hosted two public meetings at the Fort Worth Central Library Tuesday to discuss issues surrounding Tower 55 and the plans for an estimated $300 million improvement of the rail intersection.
More than 100 freight trains and 70 passenger trains pass through and adjacent to Tower 55, and wait time for trains to use the crossing averages 90 minutes.
Several different rail lines converge at Tower 55, including the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Union Pacific Railroad, Fort Worth & Western Railroad, Amtrak, and the Trinity Railway Express.
In addition to creating air pollution, the rail jam impedes the distribution of goods and blocks the possibility of expanding commuter rail service in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
NCTCOG staff introduced eight improvement alternatives under consideration at the public meetings. They include a third north-south track at grade, a north-south track in a trench, an east-west fly-over elevated track, and a bypass for the Forth Worth and Western Railroad.
Even as locomotives pile up at Tower 55, NCTCOG planners are watching the demand for rail access to the intersection steadily increase.
If the rate of traffic at Tower 55 continues to grow, by 2010 all trains needing access in an average 24 hour period will not be able to pass through, the public meetings were told.
This growth is caused by the continuous increase in regional economic activity, changes to the national freight rail network, and international trade, which indicates demand for access to the Tower 55 interchange is likely to grow in the near future.
According to the Texas State Rail Plan, rail is the primary mode of moving goods in the region, and to and from the west coast. These goods must pass through Tower 55 before moving throughout the region, the nation, or internationally.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments says that if a remedy is not found for the problems at Tower 55, companies in freight oriented developments throughout the region will be faced with two options - stay in the region and deal with the congestion issues and unreliability of shipments or move out of the region to a more reliable, less congested location.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved
Sunday, May 27, 2007
MEETINGS about Transportation and Rail - DFW REGION NCTCOG
Public Meetings of RTC on changes to the TIP (Transportation Improvement Plan) :
Public Meeting - to inform and take comments from the public:
June 6, 2007, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Meeting Location: Burleson City Hall, 141 West Renfro, Burleson, TX 76028
Public Meeting: - to inform and take comments from the public:
June 7, 2007, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices, Arlington, TX Transportation Council Room
Public Meeting - to inform and take comments from the public:
June 7, 2007, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Meeting Location: Christopher A. Parr Library, 6200 Windhaven Parkway, Plano, TX 75093
NCTCOG's RTC deliberates regarding changes to the TIP!
The public is encouraged to sit in and listen to the proceedings at the next RTC meeting.
PLACE: NCTCOG Regional Transportation Council Room, Arlington
DATE: June 14, 2007, 1:30 - 4:00 PM
Water Resources Council:
DATE: June 14, 2007, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices Arlington, William J. Pitstick Executive Board Room
Tower 55 Technical Advisory Group Meeting:
DATE: June 15, 2007, 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices Regional Forum Room, Arlington
Outer Loop/Rail Bypass Meeting:
DATE: June 15, 2007,1:30 - 3:30 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices - Arlington, Pecan Conference Room
Outer Loop/Rail Bypass:
DATE: June 20, 2007, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices - Arlington, Pecan Conference Room
NCTCOG Executive Board Meeting: June 28, 2007, 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Meeting Location: NCTCOG Offices - Arlington, William J. Pitstick Executive Board Room
The NCTCOG Offices are located at 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76005
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