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April 2008
2008 MOW budget: $56 million
2007 MOW budget: $94 million
Reason for decrease: In 2007, completed a $50 million track improvement program between Wall, S.D., and Colony, Wyo., that was funded by a RRIF loan.
Rail: Replace total of 52.5 to 60 miles; new 136-pound CWR (about 45 miles) and used CWR (about 7.5 to 15 miles).
Ties: Replace or install 230,000 wood ties.
Ballast: Install 200,000 tons.
Grinding/surfacing: Total of 650 miles.
Bridge work: Spend about $4 million on bridge improvements, such as strengthening an area from Owatonna to Winona, Minn., from 263k to 286k loading.
Focus of MOW program: Mixed between ties, rail and bridge strength to address customer and transportation needs.
2008 MOW budget: $35 million
2007 MOW budget: $33 million
Rail: Replace or install 450,000 lineal feet with CWR.
Sidings: 5,000-foot extension in Colorado; 4,500-foot extension in Cantwell; 3,000-foot extension in Harding; and 2,000-foot extension in Saulich.
Ties: Replace or install 50,000 wood and 20,000 concrete ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Grind 615 passenger miles.
Ballast: Install 90,000 tons.
Bridge work: $3.8 million replacement; $3 million pier replacement; $1.6 million, other bridge program.
Focus of MOW program: CWR — removing jointed rail.
As part of its $35 million MOW budget for 2008, the Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) is continuing a track rehabilitation program that calls for upgrading mainlines, sidings and yard tracks from Seward to Fairbanks.
The 467-mile regional plans to spend $29.9 million, funded through the sale of revenue bonds backed by the Federal Transit Administration and $500,000 of internal monies. Under the rail portion of the program, ARRC will replace worn tangent and curve jointed rail with continuous-welded rail to eliminate joints, decrease maintenance costs and improve ride quality for its passenger-rail services.
The railroad will replace a total of 450,000 lineal feet of rail this year on corridors from Cantwell to Broad Pass, and locations near Windy, Carlo, Nenana and Willow. The work includes rail grinding, rebuilding mainline switches and rail-flaw detection.
The tie portion of the track rehabilitation program calls for installing 50,000 wood ties, primarily between Denali Park and Chulitna, and 20,000 concrete ties on curves north of Hurricane and south of Denali Park.
ARRC also plans to surface about 200 miles of track and install 100,000 tons of ballast. In addition, the railroad will launch a 10-year shoulder maintenance program between Eagle River and Fairbanks to improve embankment support to accommodate heavier and faster trains.
— Jeff Stagl
2008 MOW budget: N/A
2007 MOW budget: N/A
Rail: Replace or install 28 miles of CWR; 8 miles of jointed rail.
Sidings: 5,500-foot siding in Auburn, Maine; two-mile siding in Helper, Utah.
Ballast: Install 80,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 147,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 400 miles.
Bridge work: Southern Region, rehab ($910,000) and fill bridge ($400,000); Illinois Region (near Pekin), replace two bridges ($1.1 million, April start); Canada Region, various bridge decks ($600,000, April start); Rail Link Region, rebuild six bridges ($800,000, April start) and repair nine bridges ($250,000, April start) in Georgia, and repair eight bridges in Virginia ($460,000, June start); Oregon Region, repair six bridges ($515,000, March to June).
2008 MOW budget: $23.5 million
2007 MOW budget: $22 million
Reason for increase: 5,000 additional ties; price increases.
Rail: Replace or install 18.6 miles of new CWR and 3.5 miles of secondhand rail.
Sidings: Extend one siding, 1,600 feet.
Ballast: Install 100,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 110,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Grind 1,000 pass miles; surface 250 miles.
Bridge work: $2 million budgeted, mostly for tie renewals.
Focus of MOW program: Bridge work is up substantially from last year and will continue in the future because of more units trains. Also, will install more ties and rail.Iowa Interstate Railroad ltd.
2008 MOW budget: $11 million
2007 MOW budget: $12 million
Rail: Replace or install 15 miles with new CWR.
Sidings: 10,000-foot siding in Silvis, Ill.
Grinding/surfacing: Grind 75 miles; surface 100 miles.
Ballast: Install 60,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 40,000 wood ties.
Bridge work: Redeck two bridges (Tiskawila, Ill., and Wilton, Iowa); some abutment and pier repairs started in March, $400,000.
Focus of MOW program: Concentrate on highest tonnage areas with ties, rail and new switches.
2008 MOW budget: $8.5 million
2007 MOW budget: $8.4 million
Sidings: Relocate and extend Plymouth, Ohio, siding, 2,500 feet.
Ballast: Install 40,000 tons.
Ties: Install 40,000 grade and 30,000 secondhand wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 50 miles.
Bridge work: Install 13 soil anchors to buttress large wingwall, replace timber cribb wall and install french drains at bridge near Bridgeville, Pa., $100,000.
Focus of MOW program: Crossties and surfacing track.
2008 MOW budget: $8 million
2007 MOW budget: $6 million
Reason for increase: Additional bridge work vs. 2007.
Rail: Replace or install 14 miles with new 115-pound CWR.
Ballast: Install 35,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 50,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 115 miles.
Bridge work: Complete replacement of 90 lineal feet of existing timber open-deck trestle with 100 lineal feet of steel open-deck girder bridge in Hanover, Wis. ($550,000, October start); complete replacement of 75 lineal feet of existing timber ballast-deck trestle with 81 lineal feet of steel ballast-deck girder bridge in Darien, Wis. ($432,000, June start); complete replacement of 42 lineal feet of existing timber open-deck trestle with 50 lineal feet of steel open-deck girder bridge in Hanover, Wis. ($325,000, October start); complete replacement of 47 lineal feet of existing timber open-deck trestle with 50 lineal feet of steel open-deck girder bridge in Hanover, Wis. ($290,332, June start); and complete replacement of 48 lineal feet of existing timber open-deck trestle with 50 lineal feet of steel open-deck girder bridge in Hanover, Wis. ($283,044, June start).
2008 MOW budget: $5.4 million
2007 MOW budget: $3.4 million
Reason for increase: Increased traffic levels and improvements for customer service.
Double-track projects: Install 32 new steel turnouts; 8,000 feet of yard tracks; undercutting and Boutet welding program.
Ballast: Install 10,000 tons, granite.
Ties: Install 7,200 wood; 2,800 steel ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 9.8 miles.
Bridge work: Continue $1 billion Huey P. Long Bridge improvements program, additional substructure and superstructure enhancements.
Focus of MOW program: Additional yard capacity improvements; completion of two new engineering and transportation buildings; upgrades to engine terminal.
2008 MOW budget: $5.03 million
2007 MOW budget: $4.22 million
Reason for increase: Expanded program for ballast cleaning.
Rail: Replace or install 5.2 miles with CWR.
Ballast: Install 24,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 3,500 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: 75 to 85 miles.
Bridge work: Miscellaneous basic maintenance, i.e. caps, stringers, framing bents, posting piles and deck tie replacement.
Focus of MOW program: Undercutting, curve rail and bridge repair. Continue emphasis on removing fouled limestone ballast with granite to maintain proper track geometry; continue aggressive bridge maintenance to accommodate 286k unit coal trains.
2008 MOW budget: $5 million
Reason for decrease: The result of the completion of a major siding/signal project.
Double-track project: 8 miles from Cox to Hoskins (Greensboro to High Point, N.C.), $20 million (shared with NS, NCDOT), began in 2006 and complete in 2009.
Bridge work: Replaced restricted bridge span (dated 1900) with new span in Clayton, N.C., $1 million, began in 2007, finished in 2008.
Focus of MOW program: Clayton bridge and Sugar Creek Road grade separation in Charlotte (preliminary engineering began in 2008).
2008 MOW budget: $4.2 million
2007 MOW budget: $3.1 million
Reason for increase: Rail grinding, CWR installation, bridge redecking and equipment purchasing.
Rail: Install 3 miles with CWR and 0.5 miles with jointed rail.
Sidings: Construct 2,600-foot siding in Reading, Pa.
Ballast: Install 50,000 tons.
Ties: Install 25,000 wood and (possibly) 2,000 concrete ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Grind 51 miles; surface 50 miles.
Bridge work: Rehab two bridges in the Jim Thorpe area, $100,000.
Focus of MOW program: Rehabilitation of some more heavily used branch lines and yard tracks.
2008 MOW budget: $3.5 million
2007 MOW budget: $3.5 million
Rail: Replace or install 2.6 miles of 107-pound CWR relay and 1.4 miles of 115-pound stick (80 feet).
Sidings: Rehab two passing sidings, each 1.5 miles, in Q3 and Q4.
Ballast: Install 15,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 15,000 to 20,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: 20 miles.
Bridge work: New ballasted deck bridge in Lisbon, Conn., $365,000, second quarter; three new wood bridge decks in Conn. and three in Mass., $100,000, first quarter.
Focus of MOW program: Wood tie replacement to maintain class.
2007 MOW budget: $11.5 million
Reason for increase: Complete a three-year rail/tie project.
Rail: Replace or install 7 miles with CWR.
Sidings: Construct 1.25-mile siding in Manly, Iowa.
Ballast: Install 30,000 tons.
Ties: Install 20,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 25 miles.
Focus of MOW program: Rail completion of CWR project.
2008 MOW budget: $2.8 million
2007 MOW budget: $120,000
Reason for increase: State funding available (projected).
Sidings: Build 5,000-foot industrial lead in Cordele, Ga.
Ballast: Install 6,000 to 8,000 tons.
Ties: Install about 7,500 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 30 miles.
Bridge work: Rehab three small bridges on mainline between Americus and Cordele, Ga.
Focus of MOW program: Upgrade three bridges and do T&S on 30-mile segment between Americus and Cordele; need is to handle heavy aggregate move on that segment.
2008 MOW budget: $2.7 million
2007 MOW budget: $4.2 million
Rail: Install 2.5 miles; 80 percent jointed rail and 20 percent CWR.
Sidings: Build 1,000-foot siding in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., and 400-foot stub track in Ogden, Utah.
Ballast: Install 7,300 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 30,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 2.5 miles.
Bridge work: Convert Duck River Bridge from open deck to concrete ballast deck ($750,000); replace deck ties ($10,000).
Focus of MOW program: Rehab and upgrade rail conditions, focus on rail.
2008 MOW budget: $2 million
Reason for decrease: Elimination of the federal tax credit plan.
Sidings: Build 4,000-foot siding in Chenango Forks, N.Y.; 3,000-foot siding in North Bergen, N.J.; and 1,000-foot siding in Cortland, N.Y.
Ballast: Install 28,000 net tons.
Ties: Install 25,000 wood ties.
Bridge work: Steel repairs, Butler, N.J. ($80,000); renew bridge timbers, Apulia, N.Y. ($30,000); steel repairs in Ridgefield, N.J.; renew bridge timbers in Kirkwood, N.Y. ($20,000); and renew bridge timbers in Great Bend, Pa. ($20,000).
Focus of MOW program: Need to install safety ties on the Southern Division main and the CNYK main to ensure proper gauge.
2008 MOW budget: $1.25 million
2007 MOW budget: $325,000
Reason for increase: Relay curve rail; siding extension.
Rail: Install 6,400 track feet with CWR.
Sidings: Build 5,000-foot (approx.) siding in Wahpeton, N.D.
Ballast: Install 34,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 19,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: 11 miles.
Bridge work: Rehab/upgrade 9 bridges (total, $90,000).
Focus of MOW program: Ties and ballast greatest need; curve relay is worn out.
2008 MOW budget: $1.1 million
2007 MOW budget: $750,000
Reason for increase: Availability of PennDOT grants and signal/crossing upgrades.
Rail: Replace 9 curves with 120-pound jointed rail.
Ballast: Install 5,000 tons.
Ties: Replace or install 3,000 wood ties.
Grinding/surfacing: 3 miles.
Bridge work: Reinforce footings, repair vertical cracks, and replace missing stones and mortar loss ($45,000 to $75,000).
Focus of MOW program: Tie and surfacing condition on a couple of lines where the railroad expects new customers.
2008 MOW budget: $850,000
2007 MOW budget: $615,000
Reason for increase: Construct additional track to facilitate business levels.
Rail: Replace or install 2.1 miles of jointed rail.
Sidings: Build 2,000- and 1,600-foot sidings.
Grinding/surfacing: Surface 2.4 miles.
Ballast: Install 2,600 tons.
Ties: Install 3,200 wood ties.
Focus on MOW program: Upgrade existing track structure and ergonomic switches for safety.
2008 MOW budget: $800,000
2007 MOW budget: $72,000
Reason for increase: Upgrade physical plant to accommodate traffic from new ethanol facility near Belton, S.C. (see below).
Rail: Install two-mile, 136-pound mainline track.
Ties: Install 8,300 wood ties.
Bridge work: Redeck two bridges.
Focus of MOW program: Work associated with ethanol facility, which also calls for rebuilding 13 grade crossings.
Greenville & Western Railway Co. L.L.C.’s (GRLW) ’08 MOW budget has shot up more than eleven-fold vs. 2007 because the railroad needs to upgrade its physical plant to accommodate a new ethanol/biofuels facility.
A consortium of regional firms is developing a 96-car unit train ethanol distribution, storage and blending facility on a 40-acre site along GRLW’s line near Belton, S.C.
The 12.7-mile short line will spend 2008 and 2009 upgrading its infrastructure to FRA Class II standards to handle the facility’s traffic.
This year, GRLW plans to spend about $800,000 (compared with 2007’s $72,000) on trackwork and infrastructure improvements. The short line will construct a two-mile mainline with 115- or 136-pound rail, install 8,300 wood ties, re-deck two bridges and rebuild 13 crossings. Next year, the railroad will install 5,300 more wood ties, rebuild another 10 crossings, close one crossing and seek funds to install active warning devices at an additional four crossings.
The short line and its consortium partners project first-year carloads will total about 5,000 — but that could be too conservative a figure, says GRLW President Steven Hawkins.
“The closest unit-train facility of this size is in New Jersey,” he says. “The market opportunity here is huge.”
2008 MOW budget: $480,000
2007 MOW budget: $580,000
Rail: Replace or install 2 miles of rail, joint bar.
Ties: Install 4,000 wood ties.
Bridge work: Repair five timber trestles.
Focus of MOW program: Regular maintenance.
2008 MOW budget: $200,000
2007 MOW budget: $400,000
Ties: Install 100 wood ties.
Ballast: Install 100 tons.
2008 MOW budget: $100,000
2007 MOW budget: $245,000
Reason for decrease: Completed major rehab projects in 2006 and 2007; abandonment of 60 miles of track.
Grinding/surfacing: Grind 7 miles.
Ties: Install 1,000 wood ties.
Bridge work: Rehab wood tie deck bridges ($15,000).
Focus of MOW program: Bridges and grinding (grinding already completed).
2007 MOW budget: $635,000
Rail: Install 2 miles of 115-pound jointed rail.
Ties: Install 2,000 wood ties.
Ballast: Install 5,500 tons.
Focus of MOW program: Tie replacement.
Sidings: Extend one siding to 1.6 miles in length.
Ties: Install 19,000 wood ties.
Ballast: Install 6,000 tons.
Focus of MOW program: Inspection by contractor to ensure integrity and overall condition. This year’s budget is 10 percent higher than 2007 due to increased costs and more program work.
Class Is
Regionals/Short lines
Passenger Railroads
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