Story in today's NewsWire reports on US DOT's new multimodal map showing lines that are important enough to the national network, that they will make infrastructure dollars available to them. They show the ex-Clinchfield as one of them. Also shown are the ex-D&RGW and the ex-WP, but only as far west as the NV/CA stateline, where IIRC there is a DOD ammo depot. The map is a draft, and they are taking comment.
https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Multimodal%20Freight%20Network%20Map%2017x22%20final.pdf
Interestingly, it looks like almost all of CP is not included with the exception of Twin Cities-Chicago.
The UP Chicago-Springfield line looks to be excluded.
The former B&O between Cincinnati and St. Louis looks to be excluded.
A large segment of the former Great Northern from Willmar, MN to the Twin Cities is excluded, as is UP from Milwaukee to the Twin Cities.
Meanwhile, CN's former Green Bay & Western branch from Stevens Point, WI to Arcadia, WI - home to Ashley Furniture - is included, as is CN's relatively lightly used former Soo Line branch off it's central Wisconsin main line to the Twin Cities.
Not surprisingly, Raton Pass is excluded.
Maine, Vermont and most of South Dakota appear to have no rail routes included.
The Inside Gateway is also excluded out west. That is one that should probably be added as having only one north-south route on the West Coast seems to not be prudent from a national infrastructure standpoint.
It appears that the BNSF line northeast from Trinidad is included. This line serves the Army's Pinon Canyon training site located about 35 miles from Trinidad.
This green line is the only segment of the BNSF Raton Pass line that is included.
The tank range is at Simpson, CO - NNE of Trinidad
Stracnet modified the map, eliminating the Trinidad-Raton-Las Vegas- Albuquerque route after BNSF quit staffing it in 2013. (BNSF recently ran 3-4 trains over it with AMTRAK pilots (windmill blades and a ballast train if I was told correctly), because their surviving qualified folks were working elsewhere, too far away.)
kgbw49The Inside Gateway is also excluded out west. That is one that should probably be added as having only one north-south route on the West Coast seems to not be prudent from a national infrastructure standpoint.
And from what I heard Wyden saying (and knowing Schumer is involved in it, and apparently support is piling on) in wanswheel's post in the recent oil-train thread's discussion concerning the accident in Mosier, we can look for diversions from 'strategic natural reserves' of a number of kinds, fairly soon. How quickly the policy changes reflect down to this strategic document might be interesting to watch...
Looks as if the FEC between roughly Palm Bay and West Palm Beach has been excluded.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Another classic case of the Federal government sticking it's nose where it does not belong. The railroads have succeeded in the US because they are private - Federal safety oversight is one thing, picking winners and loses should be left to Adam Smith.
BaltACD Looks as if the FEC between roughly Palm Bay and West Palm Beach has been excluded.
Its Fort Pierce-WPB. Apparently the only important consideration of the FEC mainline in south Florida is its connection to the Lake Okeechobee phosphate branch.
UP's directional paired trackage arrangement between Missouri and Texas (ex-MP and SLSW) has one of its tracks truncated in the middle of Arkansas. I guess it will just run one way now.
Looks like NS's Macon-Brunswick line didn't make the cut. Neither did CSX's ex-ACL "Bow Line" from Montgomery to Savannah.
SALfan Looks like NS's Macon-Brunswick line didn't make the cut. Neither did CSX's ex-ACL "Bow Line" from Montgomery to Savannah.
With the belt tightening CSX has been doing, the Bow Line may not make the cut for CSX and the Bow Line is only from Montgomery to Waycross operationally today.
kgbw49 Maine, Vermont and most of South Dakota appear to have no rail routes included.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Although perhaps obvious to everyone please note that this is the proposed national FREIGHT network.
Yes indeed. Some of those critical freight network segments that have been left off are surprising, but it is also first draft.
For example, it would not be surprising to see the BNSF Inside Gateway, the UP directional running in Arkansas, and the full FEC be added back to the map.
But it is logical to assume that de-emphasized routes such as the ex-B&O from Cincinnati to St. Louis and Raton Pass among others will probably stay off the map.
One concern with this is if this is a back door attempt to take control of the freight system. Typically when the Feds get involved they take more control in setting the agenda. Time will tell.
BaltACD SALfan Looks like NS's Macon-Brunswick line didn't make the cut. Neither did CSX's ex-ACL "Bow Line" from Montgomery to Savannah. With the belt tightening CSX has been doing, the Bow Line may not make the cut for CSX and the Bow Line is only from Montgomery to Waycross operationally today.
Sad to say, but you could very well be correct, at least between Valdosta and Waycross. From what I have seen, there is only one rail customer between the east side of Valdosta and the west side of Waycross (about 50-55 miles). Also, the land slopes down slightly from Valdosta to the east, and is downright swampy from west of Homerville to Waycross (around 40 miles). From what I've seen, the track is mostly jointed rail from Valdosta to Waycross, making it even more expensive to maintain. CSX appears to have good business in Valdosta, and at least some business in Thomasville, so the line would probably survive to Valdosta. On a bright note, CSX appears to be in the process of putting large metal culverts under some of small bridges east of Homerville, as if to put fill over the culverts and eliminate the bridges. I kind of hope the line survives, because from Kinderlou (just west of Valdosta) east to Waycross the line is absolutely dead straight for just over 60 miles, making it the 4th-longest stretch of straight track in the U.S. (IIRC).
I noticed that the S line in the Carolinas did not show up except, I believe, from Savannah to Columbia. I wonder if CSX would simply unload this onto the feds (read Amtrak) as it is proposed to be part of the Southeast High Speed Rail route.
My take is that the map is intended to show those rail lines that host Intermodal freight traffic.
My take on multimodal, and the fact the map showed barge routes, is that it also included things like grain or other bulk being transfered to barges. I would guess that DOT's view of multimodal is much broader than what railfans think of as intermodal.
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