 |
Re: NWP
Author: John Z
Date: 04-19-2011 - 15:27
Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit district put out this press release that might explain the move.
Locomotive Training to Begin on SMART¡¦s Eastern Rail Extension
The return of freight rail service to the North Bay moved a step closer to reality this week when the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District approved a limited plan for the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Co. (NWPCo.) to provide training to locomotive crews on SMART's rail corridor in southeastern Sonoma County.
Training will take place aboard a single locomotive that will operate between the Petaluma River and the Napa River, with crossings of Highways 37, 12 and 121, Skaggs Island Road and Milton Road. Several private road crossings also will be affected in the 20-mile training corridor. The locomotive, dubbed NWP No. 1922, may operate between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The maximum operating speed will be 25 mph. Crossing gates and warning signals will be activated at each public crossing, and train operators will sound their horns as the locomotive approaches all crossings. A signal maintenance crew will accompany the locomotive to ensure that all crossing protection systems are working properly. The Federal Railroad Administration has approved the training plan.
NWPCo. is training its crews in anticipation of the start-up of freight rail service that will operate between American Canyon in southern Napa County and Windsor in Sonoma County. NWPCo. is a private freight railroad operator under contract with the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA), a public agency that owns an easement for freight service along the SMART-owned rail corridor.
Training will take place on the least-populated branch of the SMART-owned right-of-way, near Port Sonoma, Sears Point, Schellville and in the Carneros region of southeastern Sonoma County and southwestern Napa County. SMART's passenger trains, scheduled to begin service in 2014, will not operate on this branch, but it provides a critical link for freight trains to connect with the national rail system near American Canyon.
SMART has agreed to allow the training operations, but NCRA still needs to reach an operating agreement with SMART before freight service begins. The two agencies have been negotiating for many months on terms of the agreement, which spells out how the two rail operations will co-exist in the corridor. Most issues have been settled, but a few remain before the agreement can be signed.
While SMART's primary focus is to get commuter trains running by 2014, the agency also has been working for several years to make sure the re-establishment of freight rail service in the North Bay is safe, efficient and compatible with the return of passenger rail service. This has been done in accordance with
SMART's enabling legislation, Assembly Bill 2224, which requires passenger and freight trains to operate in harmony.
The effort has included:
* Establishment of a centralized dispatch system for all traffic along the corridor. SMART has contracted with RailAmerica, a leading rail services provider, to operate dispatch services out of SMART's Project Office in downtown Santa Rosa.
* Reviewing and participating in all of NCRA¡¦s start-up activities with the Federal Railroad Administration, which must ultimately give NCRA permission to re-start freight service.
* Establishment of a comprehensive set of safety protocols on the corridor, covering a variety of activities from the movement of trains to the maintenance of track.
* Facilitating the NCRA and its operator¡¦s efforts to bring a locomotive and other equipment onto SMART¡¦s property for testing and training purposes.
* Inspecting and analyzing the structural integrity of the Haystack Bridge over the Petaluma River to ensure the safe use of this key piece of infrastructure along the corridor.
* Conducting outreach efforts to raise public awareness about the return of rail service in the North Bay.
In addition to SMART's cooperation, the NCRA also needs a formal notice from the Federal Railroad Administration lifting an emergency order issued more than a decade ago that halted freight service along this corridor because of unsafe conditions along the tracks. The freight rail agency has spent the past several years repairing those deficiencies and expects the emergency order to be lifted very soon.
Also, the NCRA is preparing to certify its Final Environmental Impact Report. That document is expected to be made public 10 to 20 days prior to the NCRA Board taking action on it.
Locomotive Training to Begin on SMART¡¦s Eastern Rail Extension
The return of freight rail service to the North Bay moved a step closer to reality this week when the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District approved a limited plan for the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Co. (NWPCo.) to provide training to locomotive crews on SMART's rail corridor in southeastern Sonoma County.
Training will take place aboard a single locomotive that will operate between the Petaluma River and the Napa River, with crossings of Highways 37, 12 and 121, Skaggs Island Road and Milton Road. Several private road crossings also will be affected in the 20-mile training corridor. The locomotive, dubbed NWP No. 1922, may operate between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The maximum operating speed will be 25 mph. Crossing gates and warning signals will be activated at each public crossing, and train operators will sound their horns as the locomotive approaches all crossings. A signal maintenance crew will accompany the locomotive to ensure that all crossing protection systems are working properly. The Federal Railroad Administration has approved the training plan.
NWPCo. is training its crews in anticipation of the start-up of freight rail service that will operate between American Canyon in southern Napa County and Windsor in Sonoma County. NWPCo. is a private freight railroad operator under contract with the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA), a public agency that owns an easement for freight service along the SMART-owned rail corridor.
Training will take place on the least-populated branch of the SMART-owned right-of-way, near Port Sonoma, Sears Point, Schellville and in the Carneros region of southeastern Sonoma County and southwestern Napa County. SMART's passenger trains, scheduled to begin service in 2014, will not operate on this branch, but it provides a critical link for freight trains to connect with the national rail system near American Canyon.
SMART has agreed to allow the training operations, but NCRA still needs to reach an operating agreement with SMART before freight service begins. The two agencies have been negotiating for many months on terms of the agreement, which spells out how the two rail operations will co-exist in the corridor. Most issues have been settled, but a few remain before the agreement can be signed.
While SMART's primary focus is to get commuter trains running by 2014, the agency also has been working for several years to make sure the re-establishment of freight rail service in the North Bay is safe, efficient and compatible with the return of passenger rail service. This has been done in accordance with
SMART's enabling legislation, Assembly Bill 2224, which requires passenger and freight trains to operate in harmony.
The effort has included:
* Establishment of a centralized dispatch system for all traffic along the corridor. SMART has contracted with RailAmerica, a leading rail services provider, to operate dispatch services out of SMART's Project Office in downtown Santa Rosa.
* Reviewing and participating in all of NCRA¡¦s start-up activities with the Federal Railroad Administration, which must ultimately give NCRA permission to re-start freight service.
* Establishment of a comprehensive set of safety protocols on the corridor, covering a variety of activities from the movement of trains to the maintenance of track.
* Facilitating the NCRA and its operator¡¦s efforts to bring a locomotive and other equipment onto SMART¡¦s property for testing and training purposes.
* Inspecting and analyzing the structural integrity of the Haystack Bridge over the Petaluma River to ensure the safe use of this key piece of infrastructure along the corridor.
* Conducting outreach efforts to raise public awareness about the return of rail service in the North Bay.
In addition to SMART's cooperation, the NCRA also needs a formal notice from the Federal Railroad Administration lifting an emergency order issued more than a decade ago that halted freight service along this corridor because of unsafe conditions along the tracks. The freight rail agency has spent the past several years repairing those deficiencies and expects the emergency order to be lifted very soon.
Also, the NCRA is preparing to certify its Final Environmental Impact Report. That document is expected to be made public 10 to 20 days prior to the NCRA Board taking action on it.
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 NWP
|
George Manley | 04-15-2011 - 15:07 |
|
Re: NWP |
John Z | 04-19-2011 - 15:27 |