Siskiyou (proto) restoration!!!???

ratled

Saw this today while searching the NWP forums http://nwprr.net/. I thought more than a few might be interested in it - Weed CA to Ashland OR

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/GOVREL/Pages/051613c.aspx

Steve

Light at the end of the tunnel for the Siskiyou Rail Line

Almost five years since the last freight train carried freight from Weed, California to Ashland, a triumphant collaboration of private and public stakeholders is seeing the proverbial light at the end of tunnel. A $9.49 million rehabilitation project is expected to reopen the Siskiyou Rail Line within the next two years.

The Siskiyou Summit Railroad Revitalization project will repair and revitalize a section of the 296-mile stretch of the short line railroad, including rail, tunnels, ties and bridges as well as upgrading its freight capacity to handle the 286,000-pound industry standard for rail cars.

Last June, a $7 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant awarded to the Oregon Department of Transportation and California's Siskiyou County for the Siskiyou Summit Railroad Revitalization project was met with a celebratory roar throughout the region.

Mike Montero, co-chairman of the Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation, noted the environmentally-friendly aspects of restoring the Siskiyou Rail Line but also stressed the economic benefits.

"The potential for reduced emissions and reduced traffic on I-5 are a benefit in the Rogue Valley,” said Montero. “However, companies around Oregon will also gain from adding a much-needed shipping option. Bulk freight and heavier materials like lumber can be shipped more economically on rail.”

Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad, which owns the line, will provide the remainder of the project cost along with the help of private shipping companies. Meanwhile, ODOT and CORP are working together with the Federal Rail Administration to complete the federal processes, agreements and guidelines necessary before construction can begin.

“The TIGER grant was critical to moving this endeavor forward,” said Art Anderson, ODOT area manager for the Rogue Valley. “These federal grants are extremely competitive. Our application wouldn’t have been successful without the combined private and public support from both states.”

The contract is on schedule to be let by the end of April 2013. “Unlike traditional highway projects, freight rail improvements to existing rail infrastructure can be completed relatively quickly,” Anderson said.

A second, smaller project funded through the ConnectOregon IV program will improve the clearances of tunnels and other rail infrastructure between Douglas and Jackson counties. The $5.7 million project, which received a $4.5 million ConnectOregon IV grant, will open access to the Rogue Valley with modern, high-capacity rail car equipment.

Bob Ragon, spokesman for Coos-Siskiyou Shippers Coalition, said work on the smaller project could begin later this year. The coalition was at the forefront of bringing together industry, CORP, and local, state, and federal government representatives to pursue the TIGER grant program.

"The ConnectOregon project will allow taller, high-capacity boxcars to be used on the Siskiyou Line," said Ragon. “These rail line improvements help give local companies a competitive edge, protecting jobs and enhancing industrial growth in northern California and southern Oregon.”

http://klamathline.blogspot.com/

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