MOW Spending Report: Large railroads lay out 2013 infrastructure programs

2013 MOW Plans

(Arranged By Budget Amount)

BNSF Railway Co.

2013 capex budget: About $4.1 billion (a record), includes $2.3 billion for core network and related assets, $550 million for terminal, line and intermodal expansion and efficiency projects, and $250 million for positive train control work.

2012 capex budget: About $3.6 billion.

Reasons for budget increase: Expansion and efficiency projects will be primarily focused on capacity expansion to accommodate Bakken Shale-related industrial products growth, intermodal terminal expansions, such as the completion of the Kansas City Intermodal Facility, and other terminal improvements to enhance productivity and velocity.

Rail: Install or replace 1,090 track miles of rail with continuous-welded rail (CWR).

Grinding/surfacing: Grind 28,000 track miles and surface 18,500 track miles.

Ties: Install 4,004,000 wood and 373,000 concrete ties.

Ballast: Install 5,079,000 net tons.

Bridge work: Total of 210 projects — a 28 percent increase vs. 2012 — including rebuilds, ballast deck conversions, re-decks and bridge fills.* Major projects include:

• Completion of the new 1,682-foot Plattsmouth Bridge over the Missouri River near Omaha, Neb., which began in March 2012 and is slated for completion in December 2013.
• Continuation of the Bellefontaine Project, which includes the replacement of the 876-foot steel tower approach spans and floor system modifications to four 440-foot-long through trusses over the Missouri River near St. Louis. Work began in March 2013 and is slated for completed by 2013's end.
• Continuation of the Ponca City project, which includes the replacement of three existing through trusses and approach spans with 586 feet of new steel girder spans over the Arkansas River's Salt Fork. Also scheduled for completion by year's end.

Unusual or unique work this year: Stimulus projects in western Washington, and upgrades to a line through Devils Lake, N.D., with new CWR, which includes raising the grade on a portion of the subdivision.

*Information from BNSF presentation Jan. 11 at the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Inc.'s (NRC) annual conference in Miami

Union Pacific Railroad*

Replacement capital for 2013: $2.2 billion

Rail: Replace nearly 1,000 miles of rail.

Double track: Install 30 additional miles of second mainline on Sunset Route in Arizona and California (Western Region); construct double track north of Dexter, Mo. (Northern Region); and construct double track in Louisiana and Texas (Southern Region).

Sidings: Build sidings and upgrade signals in the Louisiana Gulf, and install sidings in Texas (Southern Region); and extend sidings and upgrade signals in the Pacific Northwest (Western Region).

Ties: Install or replace about 3.8 million ties.

Bridge work: Build flyover in Colton, Calif. (Western Region).

Facility projects: Continue to build intermodal terminal and fueling facility in Santa Teresa, N.M., expand Los Angeles intermodal yard and improve terminals in the Pacific Northwest (Western Region); expand yard in Salem, Ill. (Northern Region); and expand yards in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas (Southern Region).

* Information from UP's 2013 capital plan summary

CN

2013 MOW budget: $1,788,000 (capex and opex, in Canadian dollars)

2012 MOW budget: $1,735,000 (capex and opex, in Canadian dollars)

Reasons for budget increase: Inflation and increased traffic.

Rail: Basic capital calls for 406 track miles of new rail and 155 track miles of partially worn rail, all CWR.

Double track/sidings: Key focus on Edmonton-to-Winnipeg corridor in Alberta and Saskatchewan; also, long and extended sidings in northern British Columbia and northern Alberta (Western Canada).Three extended sidings in northern Ontario to complete grid of long sidings in the Toronto-Winnipeg corridor (Eastern Canada).

Grinding/Surfacing: Grind 18,500 pass miles.

Ties: Basic capital calls for installing 1,546,000 wood and 66,000 concrete ties.

Ballast: Install 1.5 million metric tons.

Bridge work: The following four major projects:

• Reconstruct Oshkosh, Wis., bridge at mile 173 in Neenah Subdivision, $28 million. Calls for replacing a swing bridge with a single leaf bascule bridge over the Fox River. The bascule span "float in" will be performed in July under a 40-hour railway block.
• Strengthen and upgrade Dubuque, Iowa, bridge at mile 182 in Dubuque Subdivision, $42 million. Work has been ongoing since 2011 and will be completed next year. The entire floor system of all trusses will be replaced, trusses will be strengthened and bearings will be replaced. This year's work will focus on swing span truss.
• Strengthen Sault Sainte Marie bridge in Manistique Subdivision in Michigan, $12 million. Work has been ongoing since 2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2014. This year's work will focus on replacement of the floor system of the nine fixed trusses, and next year's work will focus on the trunion for the double leaf bascule and strengthening of the Canadian-side swing span.
• Replace three 100-foot double-track DPG spans on a bridge over the Ottawa River on the west end of the island of Montreal at mile 21.4 in the Kingston Subdivision, $12 million. To be completed this year with a series of 16-hour railway blocks, using a gantry crane system to remove the existing spans and replace them with similar spans weighing 920,000 pounds each.

Facilities: Kirk Yard reconstruction, ongoing work, $25 million; and EJ&E integration, Eola to East siding, Munger connection, $15 million.

CSX Transportation

2013 MOW budget: Will invest 54 percent of $2.3 billion capital plan in infrastructure, or about $1.24 billion.

2012 MOW budget: Invested about 52 percent of $2.25 billion capital plan in infrastructure, or about $1.17 billion.

Reason for budget increase: CSXT is continually improving system production team planning and productivity.

Rail: Replace or install about 360 miles of rail with 136-pound CWR, and a mixture of premium and standard rail.

Double track: Construct 5 miles of double track from Haverstraw to Tomkins Cove, N.Y., includes connecting two existing sidings, projected for completion in 2013; and build 4 miles of double track in Coxsackie, N.Y., a multi-year project that also includes 4 miles of double track planned in 2014.

Sidings: Build 10,000-foot sidings in Dellrose, Tenn., and Martinka, W.Va.

Grinding/Surfacing: Grind about 23,000 pass miles and surface about 5,500 miles.

Ties: Install about 3.3 million wood and a few thousand concrete ties.

Ballast: Install about 3.4 million tons.

Bridge work: Infrastructure capital includes funding for numerous bridge rebuild, strengthening and reliability projects across the system. In addition, about 21,000 open-deck bridge ties are planned for renewal in 2013.

Facilities: Infrastructure capital includes funding for new building construction, roofing, HVAC and electrical infrastructure projects, and switch-heater upgrades.

Norfolk Southern Railway

2013 MOW budget: Projected spending includes $831 million to replace rail, ties and ballast, and to improve or replace bridges.

2012 MOW budget: Spent $840 million for programs to maintain track network, primarily rail, ties and ballast, and replace bridges and culverts.

Rail: Replace or install 418 miles of new and relay rail, CWR.

Double track: Build 4.5 miles of double track near Grove, Ky.

Grinding/Surfacing: Grind 17,800 pass miles and 12,600 track miles. Ties: Install 2.25 million wood ties.

Ballast: Install 2.5 million tons.

Bridge work: Overall, rehab or replace about 120 bridges. Build new 963-foot-long bridge to replace the 819-foot-long, 245-foot-high Portageville Viaduct in New York, $67.5 million, complete in about two years. Also, replace several bridges over 51st Street in Chicago, build two bridges near Burns Harbor, Ind., and rehab a rolling bascule bridge in Norkolk, Va.

Facilities: Facility and terminal investments are anticipated to total $203 million, separate from the $831 million roadway and maintenance budget. Work includes the following:

• Add capacity to the intermodal network (including the Crescent Corridor initiative), mechanical service shops and bulk transfer facilities.
• Continue a multi-year project to expand Bellevue Yard in northern Ohio, $160 million. The work will double the classification yard's size and includes 38 new tracks (boosting total number of classification tracks to 80) and 38.5 miles of rail.
• Construct a 200-acre intermodal terminal between two runways at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to replace a downtown terminal, $92 million. To be completed in mid-2014, the work calls for building a support yard and intermodal facility, as well as 92,000 feet of new track between runaround tracks, three 4,500-foot pad tracks and seven 3,000-foot yard and additional support tracks. The expansion will add 38 classification tracks, four forwarding and two receiving tracks, and one yard bypass, and include an upgraded large interlocking.
• Expand intermodal terminals in Rutherford and Harrisburg, Pa., and replace a locomotive servicing facility in Conway, Pa. To be completed by mid-2013, the terminal work involves the construction of 12,000 feet of track and creation of two additional 2,600-foot pad tracks and 450 trailer spaces.

Canadian Pacific

2013 MOW budget: N/A

2012 MOW budget: $960 million (in Canadian dollars)

Note: Basic replacement capital estimated at $640 million.*

Rail: Replace or install 410 miles of new and relay rail with CWR, primarily ranging from 100- to 136-pound rail; work includes 32 miles of sidings and rail in yards.

Sidings: Plan to complete 11 siding extensions ranging in length from 10,000 to 14,000 feet.

Grinding/surfacing: Grind 13,200 pass miles and 6,200 spot events.

Ties: Install 1,033,995 wood ties.

Ballast: Estimated at 675,000 tons, 135 miles out of face.

Bridge work: Total capital budget at about $90 million (in Canadian dollars); includes 250 separate bridge projects. Bridge and structures work includes 62 deck replacements, 46 bridge replacements and 44 timber pile trestle upgrades.*

Other work: 125 programmed turnout replacements in 2013.*

*Information from CP presentation Jan. 11 at the NRC's annual conference

Kansas City Southern

2013 Capex: 21 percent of revenue in the United States and Mexico (about $450 million)

Double track/sidings: Budget of $47 million for double track and additional/longer sidings.

Facilities: Budget of $27 million for new origin/destination facilities; and $29 million for intermodal terminal expansions.

Other work: Budget of $20 million for CTC and work to increase mainline speeds; and $45 million for rolling stock.

Ferrocarril Mexicano S.A. de C.V. (Ferromex)

2013 MOW budget: $370 million (U.S. dollars)

2012 MOW budget: $162 million (U.S. dollars)

Reasons for budget increase: Load capacity will increase to 130 tons on "T" line; reduction of general orders; progressive rehabilitation work to ensure rail traffic on "A" and "I" lines; and construction of new sidings to expand capacity of trains on track.

Rail: Install 218.1 miles of 115- and 136-pound rail.

Double track: (Line/length/cost/start date) A-597, 1.74 miles, $2,976,662, Aug. 19; A-577, 3.43 miles, $5,030,668, Aug. 5; A-474, 7 miles, $6,082,365, Aug. 5; A-409, 4.77 miles, $3,581,373, Aug. 5; A-388, 4.65 miles, $6,699,240, Sept. 2; A-350, 0.34 miles, $4,449,362, March 18; and R-232, 1.09 miles, $1,442,918, April 27.

Sidings: (Line, location) A-1067, Coahuila, Jimulco; A-1020, Coahuila, Darias; A-829, Zacatecas, Cedro; A-325, Guanajuato, UNIVEX; B-154, Hidalgo, Sabinita; A-1927, Chihuahua, Dunas; T-1927, Coahuila, Lolita; T-1741, Jalisco, La Venta; I-304, Jalisco, Cruz Vieja; I-471, Jalisco, El Volcán; I-563, Colima, Tecomán, I-103, Jalisco, Patti; I-69, Jalisco, Oliva; I-39, Guanajuato, Corralejo; R-34, Coahuila, Gavilán; R-121, Coahuila, Mezquital; R-150, Coahuila, La Florida; R-195, Coahuila, Hermanas; R-272, Coahuila, Gloria; R-331, Coahuila, La Popa; M-486, Monterrey, Bellavista; TA-103, Sonora, La Sauceda; and T-594, Sonora, Margarita.

Grinding/surfacing: 886.7 miles.

Ties: Install 635,000 wood and 570,000 concrete ties.

Ballast: Install 1,147,200 tons.

Bridge work: Jobs consist of changing low-capacity beams with concrete beams, structural reinforcement with deep foundations in various locations, structural reinforcement in low-capacity metalical bridges by increasing several elements, concrete reinforcement, and changing wood elements with concrete. Reinforcements (with cost and month work started) include bridges in Empalme, $837,400, February; Nacozari, $1,458,000, January; Nogales, $837,400, February; Paredón, $920,000, January; Puerto Peñasco, $2,600,000, February; Sufragio, $1,046,700, February; and Tepic, $2,333,300, February.

Facilities: Construct first phase of yard in Celaya.

Other work: Establish concrete tie modulation as reinforcement to elastic rail.