Savage Tooele Railroad
| Savage Tooele Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Savage Tooele Railroad is a shortline railroad under construction along the former Western Pacific Railroad Warner Branch, to the Lakeview Business Park in Grantsville, Utah. Authorization from the Surface Transportation Board to build the railroad was given in April 2024.[1]
History
The Western Pacific Railroad originally built the Warner Branch in 1917 to connect the Western Pacific to the Tooele Valley Railway, accessing the traffic from the International Smelting and Refining Company plant in Tooele, Utah.[2] An interchange with the Tooele Army Depot was built in 1943 providing further traffic along the branch.[2] Following the merger between the Western Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad the branch would be deemed surplus, and was largely abandoned. Rails were removed from Tooele to the unincorporated community of Marshall, Utah in 2003.[2] A significant portion of the right of way on the Tooele to Grantsville portion of the Warner Branch exists presently as the Mid-Valley Trail.[3]
In 2020, the Romney Group and NorthPoint Development broke ground on the Lakeview Business Park, north of the Utah Motorsports Campus.[4] The Savage Tooele Railroad was founded as a common carrier railroad under parent company Savage (who operate the nearby Savage Bingham and Garfield Railroad in Salt Lake County) to restore and operate the Warner Branch to the business park and filed an appeal in 2021 with the Surface Transportation Board to begin construction of the railroad line.[1][5] Motions to begin construction on the railroad were denied in 2021 and 2022, pending the completion of an environmental review which was finished in 2024.[5][6]
In February 2024, the STB granted permission to the Union Pacific Railroad to restore the upper portion of the Warner Branch to service to interchange with the Savage Tooele Railroad.[7] BNSF Railway had appealed for lengthier STB proceedings to allow access to interchange with the Savage Tooele Railroad via trackage rights, however as of 2024 the STB has so far denied this request.[7] Permission was granted by the STB for the Savage Tooele Railroad to begin construction from it's connection with the Union Pacific to the Lakeview Business Park in April of that year.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Savage Tooele Railroad Company-Construction and Operation Exemption-Line of Railroad in Tooele County, Utah". federalregister.gov. Federal Register. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ a b c Strack, Don (December 5, 2023). "Western Pacific Branches in Utah". utahrails.net. Utah Rails. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Mid-Valley Trail". tooelecountytrails.com. Tooele Transcript Bulletin. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ Maqbool, Abdul (December 10, 2020). "NorthPoint, Romney Group unveil over $1B business park in Grantsville, Utah". spglobal.com. S&P Global. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Stephens, Bill (October 16, 2023). "Analysis: Regulatory overkill stunts potential of proposed Utah rail project". Trains.com. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "STB Issues Final Environmental Assessment for Proposed New Rail Line in Tooele County, Utah". stb.gov. Surface Transportation Board. March 1, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "STB approves UP request to restore service on Utah rail line". progressiverailroading.com. Progressive Railroading. February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
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