Howard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> A poster with the screen name SieraRail posted the
> following in response to my thread over on the
> West Coast Rail Forum:
>
> The key factor at West Sacto is the Port of
> Sacramento. In the future, you will see unit
> trains of iron ore and coal being exported, and
> U.P. isn't about to give this up.
>


That seems a bit disingenuous in the short term, as their lease would likely expire before any new iron/coal facilities could be built there. The only thing in the works at Sacto I'm aware of is an expansion of the cement facility. Deepening the channel beyond its current 30' would require more dredging and environmental work which of course takes time and money. It was my understanding that SERA was angry that UP was somehow funneling exports to the ports of Stockton and Richmond, though that might have been lost in translation. Stockton is actively expending their capacity for iron and coal exports, along with cranes for a marine box barge shuttle to/from Oakland that could start by the 2nd quarter.

Regardless, it looks like the little branch down there has fallen victim to a larger money game being played. I seem to remember reading that SERA was eager to sign their initial lease with UP before the start of the new year in order to bank some substantial tax credits and quickly start storing idled cars. Free money just for having their name on the paperwork and doing some maintenance. And of course the banana slug bong loading crew in the county office only wanted an operator signed up so they could bank government funds to secure the corridor for eventual trail use. Nothing is ever what it seems on the surface.