Received the following article via email. It is from RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES Magazine, and is dated May 14, 2008.
Donner Summit project to improve tunnels, tracks
As fuel prices continue to soar and United States ports become increasingly congested by global trade, transportation officials say the freight railway industry will see a powerful resurgence in the near future. However, before the country’s antiquated shipping mode can consider the coming boost in train traffic, changes must be made to the outdated tracks and tunnels, including the Union Pacific rail line over Donner Summit, local newspapers report.
The California Transportation Commission is currently working with the Union Pacific on the Donner Project, a plan to construct 9.3 miles of second main track and to increase tunnel clearances for double-stacked freight trains, said Zoe Richmond, public relations director for Union Pacific.
Raising the height of the tunnels would allow the double-stacked cargo containers to travel over Donner Pass rather than the current route through the Feather River Canyon, a shift that would reduce travel time by 75 miles, Richmond said.
However, the impact from more frequent freight traffic on Truckee is uncertain, Richmond said.
In 1996, when Union Pacific bought out Southern Pacific, one expectation of the merger was that train trips would triple over the Donner route. In response, the town constructed the McIver Crossing to regulate traffic in the downtown area. However, the town has yet to see a change in train traffic.
In addition, the town has explored constructing an under-crossing that would connect East River Street to Donner Pass Road, but the project remains on the back burner until future traffic issues arise.
If approved, preliminary engineering and design work for the Donner Summit track improvements and clearance project could be completed in 2009, with construction starting in the spring, Richmond said.
The project would cost an estimated $86.8 million, and would be split between Union Pacific and the California Transportation Commission, she said.