Might just be surplus land - Made surplus by the simple fact that UP now owns both yards and both railroad lines by that plant.

Since its already functionally a monopoly situation, it will make no material difference to the level of railroad service to the plant - though the UP monopoly, with its "We Can handle It - if we darn well feel like it" mentality, WILL make a huge difference in the desirability of the service.

So Tesla will probably end up shipping it all by truck anyway - just like everyone else in Northern California is having to do. That is - assuming it ever actually gets started shipping anything - so far it's a lot of talk and little walk.

Railroading here (except for old ATSF areas in the San Joaquin valley) are but a slim shadow of their former selves. And California's "Great Recession (Depression actually) is rapidly killing off those areas too. With a regional 18-20% unemployment rate, there ain't so much being shipped out of there anymore. In fact, next month my job is gone too - moving out of state. Either I go too, or I'm unemployed!

But at least I've been offered that option - many thousands more have not - and will not.

So who cares about some long defunct rail yard in San Hosed.