Per Trains NewsWire
County may buy UP tracks for Kansas City commuter line
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A memorandum of understanding has been reached between Jackson County and Union Pacific to buy former Rock Island trackage between Lee's Summit and the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City. The line would be used for a future commuter rail line connecting Kansas City with its eastern suburbs.
Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders' tells the Kansas City Star that the agreement between the county and UP was the most significant milestone to date in the effort to bring commuter trains to the area. "What this does is make commuter rail for the first time in its history possible," Sanders says. Besides being a possible route for commuter rail service, the corridor has long been seen as key to connecting Kansas City with the Katy Trail, the cross-Missouri hiking and biking trail on the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad right-of-way.
In addition to the line from Lee's Summit, the agreement includes 3.5 miles of track known as the Pixley Spur that extends east from near the Amtrak station in Independence. The purchase price for both pieces would total $59.9 million.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says he will seek federal money to cover some or the entire purchase price. "I think we've got a real shot that we can get the full $59 million," he says, adding that no county tax dollars will be used to buy the rail lines.
Sanders praises the railroad for its willingness to let the county buy the properties. UP has agreed to three other conditions Sanders says are favorable. The county does not have to pay anything for the option, the railroad will allow the county to make payments on the purchase without interest, and it has agreed to talk about the county's possible use of an active line that might connect a commuter rail system to downtown.
The Kansas City Star has a editorial praising the move for the extended connectivity it will bring in the future.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/24/4847157/editorial-a-step-forward-for-commuter.html (http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/24/4847157/editorial-a-step-forward-for-commuter.html)
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Bold move forward on commuter rail, trails
The potential of building commuter rail in Jackson County is much brighter thanks to a new, positive agreement between Jackson County and Union Pacific Railroad.
And the possibility of creating an expanded system of hiking and biking trails has taken a big step forward, too.
That's far better than the glum situation that existed in late 2013, after the county's disagreement with Kansas City Southern appeared to forever threaten the commuter rail option.
The pact with Union Pacific gives the county the opportunity to purchase 19 miles of abandoned railroad corridor, including the Rock Island Line that runs through Lee's Summit, Raytown and Kansas City — and just next to the Truman Sports Complex. The price is almost $60 million.
This kind of long-range planning is the mark of progressive communities. If Jackson County wants to offer a new kind of transit option — whether five or 25 years from now — officials must take bold action to prepare for that future.
The county hopes that gaining access to additional corridors in the future could eventually take commuter rail all the way to 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard. That's close to Kansas City's new downtown streetcar line.
Sanders emphasized Monday that county taxpayers are not being asked to come up with funds for the land purchase. County officials say they will aggressively seek money from multiple sources including the federal government.
Yet amid all the talk at the county courthouse of commuter rail routes, building them is not part of the current agenda. Indeed, the county likely would have to ask for a tax increase to install and operate a rail transit system.
Still, if the land is bought, that would give the county the immediate option to begin building hiking and biking trails along the corridor, which reportedly is quite wide in most places. The trails could link to other systems, including the Trolley Trail in southwest Kansas City and the Little Blue Trace Trail in Independence, and eventually even reach the Katy Trail, which flows across much of Missouri.
An expanded system of trails would be a notable achievement for Jackson County, and it could be done in tandem with the commuter rail project if that gets rolling.
None of this happens, though, without first buying the land. Making that happen should be a top priority for Sanders and other Jackson County officials.
Don't expect CSX, NS, or FEC to be any less benevolent when we finally get the message that rail spurs development (probably shortly after Hastings annexes parts of Mandarin). This is what KC is getting in this 'ROCK ISLAND DEAL'.
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This isn't exactly the FEC Mainline through Bayard! Even if the track were mostly visible and actually sitting on top of the ballast rather then buried somewhere beneath it to do a BASIC job of commuter or light rail, you'd want to scrap all of the old material and replace it. What they are buying is dirt, and a pre compacted, century old right-of-way that would take years to duplicate today. They might also be picking up a few historic buildings, stations or platforms but reuse is questionable at best unless local historical money is available to sweeten the pot.
Jacksonville's biggest problem besides blockheads in the council and JTA, is none of our m/l abandoned routes are longer then a couple of miles. Meaning it's great for light rail but commuter rail on something like the 'S' line is fantasy. Likewise a schedule of 10 trains daily morning and evening between downtown and Green Cove, St. Augustine, Baldwin or Yulee is not going to happen in our life times. Expect at best 2 or 4 daily.
More good news? While Jacksonville sits on it's hands having completed the first required Federal study for streetcar (which JTA's consultants largely ripped off from this website) and found it practicable, El Paso is leaving us in their rear view mirror too. Suntran is now looking to light-rail, planning a 5 mile streetcar line (they already have the historic cars) and finishing up on a real and rather long BRT line toward Fort Bliss. The BRT passes El Paso's own version of 'Regency Square' and Suntran has bought 5 acres of it for a transit center. Now the local government and private investors have swarmed in, bought up the rest and a few hundred million latter, they will have completely revitalized a sagging part of the city.
So what about us? IDIOTS! We blow somewhere shy of $10 million on a mixed traffic quality bus service (read that frequent) with just enough trappings from the BRT cafe of toys to call it BRT, then run it straight south along a road with modest industrial properties to a mall that it still doing quite well. When the public realized they've been hoodwinked into the 'Oh BRT will be just like rail only cheaper', line of crap, the only thing that will stick will be the part about being 'CHEAP!' Meanwhile the Arlington Expressway is getting older, has lots of room and there is a massive and aging retail/mixed use complex at one end and a downtown at the other.... CHIRP, CHIRP.
Quote from: Ocklawaha on February 26, 2014, 12:47:41 PM
Jacksonville's biggest problem besides blockheads in the council and JTA, is none of our m/l abandoned routes are longer then a couple of miles. Meaning it's great for light rail but commuter rail on something like the 'S' line is fantasy. Likewise a schedule of 10 trains daily morning and evening between downtown and Green Cove, St. Augustine, Baldwin or Yulee is not going to happen in our life times. Expect at best 2 or 4 daily.
This actually seems like a promotion in favor of BRT ... why spend all the money on rail for the same service that is being done today by an JTA express bus?
In KCMO for the old Rock Island.
They will use commuter rail only to Lee's Summit. Ameren Energy owns the other side to support their power station in Union MO. Progressive Rail runs it.
Everything in between will become a rail to trail.
But I did the same thing Ock did. I looked up the route on Google and saw the pave overs and grass filled ballast.
There was alot of questions last year about why Union Pacific was maintaining the crossing signals yet no train had traversed the route in 25 years.
They maintained that for the same reason the FEC 'maintained' both the Palm Coast Portland Cement branchline and the old mainline from St. Augustine to Elkton - Hastings and East Palatka. In both cases just under the freeway then ripped out the rest. CSX did this back in the SCL days when the Baldwin Rail Trail was just a pipe dream. They maintained the track under 295 which ended near Pickettville between 12th and Norman. ACCESS.
Today that SCL/CSX track serves as a direct link between the JAXPORT terminals and the new massive intermodal yard west of I-295. This effectively gives intermodal trains a route on new trackage from the yard north to Waycross/Savannah and west on the Jacksonville-Los Angeles mainline, with a nice port tap in the middle.
Nothing has come of the Palm Coast link YET but there is an industrial area there and the tracks can get under 95 if needs be. The St. Augustine-Elkton link already has a couple of big customers west of 95 including a large HH Gregg warehouse and a concrete plant both of which get daily shipments.
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Likewise in the panhandle the little (ancient) Marianna and Blountstown Railroad might have been saved had the owners remained determined enough to get I-10 over the tracks rather then severing them. The Chipola River bridge was condemned so the line was embargoed and FDOT wiped it out. Sadly a huge loss for Blountstown with it's budding Veneer Plywood Panel industry. It's all about locking in access.