Can’t remember if asked this one before. How much would it cost per mile to re-lay track on roadbed where the track was taken up in the 80s. The Minnesota Zephyr line behind the house is about 6 miles from its old connection to the west. Just curious. Not rich.
Considering that I’ve heard that it can run $750K to $1M per mile to rehab track that is in poor shape (some or all new ties, ballast as needed, etc), you can likely add the cost of some raw materials (rail, hardware, ties, new ballast) to that, assuming that the railbed is otherwise in reasonable condition and any bridges are intact/usable.
MC can probably give you some better info. For dreaming purposes, I guess a million a mile or so.
Many variables must be defined, ie, how has the roadbed and ROW deteriorated or become overgrown; what will the new RR be used for - low speed freight, but heavy loads - commuter line with station facilities - high speed passenger with signal system including CTC -; how about local resistance - the NIMBY factor; and there can be several more.
The former NP Stampede Pass line in WA which was rehabilitated in the late 90’s would be one example, and it had the old track structure still in place which was removed.
The State of Massachusetts just re-opened for passenger service the 17.7 mile, X-New Haven Greenbush branch after 48 years as freight only and then out of service.
An 80 mph Commuter line from Greenbush to Braintree junction. trains then take the X-Old Colony line into Boston. 17.7 miles of new track with welded rails, 7 new stations, 28 crossings to protect, an 800 foot tunnel to bypass Hingham Square, total cost $512 Million.
I think the low end might be around $250,000 per mile. UP is just completing an extensive 40 mile rehab east of Jefferson City, Missouri. Cost is $8,100,000. Now this track has been in use, but whether to do it a little or a lot is probably just about the same (unless it is only a very minor rehab, and this was not). I also saw a 1995 published study and that was the cost then (adjust for inflation and it’s sure to be more today, but I don’t think it will approach a $1,000,000 a mile.
I think the upper range might be $500-$750,000 across most of rural, rolling contour America, and it could be higher. But, although I’ve been looking for the magic figure, i.e., “construction cost per mile of railroad.” I haven’t been able to find it yet.
For comparison sake, however, everyone might find these figures interesting:
A mile of state highway, two lane: 3-10 million a mile.
A mile of interstate (blended rural and urban cost): 23 million a mile.
Just stumbled upon something interesting which has bearing on this question. Missouri Department of Transportation has just issued a recommendation for a $10 million dollar project to extend two rail sidings in order to improve Amtrak service (to make possible some of the longer trains getting onto sidings which cannot currently accomodate them). The extensionwould be about 4,000-5,000 feet in length each.
This calculation of length versus cost produces a ball park estimate of 5 million, or thereabouts per mile. This may include property acquisition, but that is a question that I can’t determine.
This figure, however, does cover the cost of taking virgin land and developing a road-bed and all other materials to put it in place. It’s interesting also because in that it is apprimately the same mean average of cost per mile of average per mile cost of State highway.
And something else: being a State funded improvement, a tax bill comes with it for Union Pacific railroad.
So now it may be that the price to rehab is somewhere in the $250,000-$750,000 per mile range, and a mile of new starting from scratch is about $5 million per mile.
That the new cost is on a par with highway construction is interesting - a post on a local web board here put forth a rumor of restoration of a long-removed line in the area. They cited the following construction stats:
Sounds more like a highway to me…
A lot![:D]
The KCS is currently rehabing and restoring to service about 90 miles of the former SP (T&NO) branch between Victoria and Rosenberg, TX. Though the rails were never pulled up, this line has been out if service for many years. It will be rebuilt to either FRA Class 4 or 5 with all new ties, CWR, ballast, CTC, bridges and passing tracks. The KCS presently has a gap in their NAFTA mainline into Mexico (former Tex-Mex and TFM) between Beaumont and Rosenberg over which they presently opreate by trackage rights on the UP. Once completed the Victoria - Rosengberg line will cut 70 miles off the present route and reduce the distance the KCS has to operate on the UP to about 110 miles.
The KCS has applied to the FRA for a $100 million RRIF loan for this project. Assuming this is the full cost (which may or may not be correct - I don’t know) this equates to $1.1 million per mile. This includes the cost of removing all existing old rail and ties so for a bebuild that didn’t require removal a mllion/mile cost would probably be a good estimate though I expect there could be quite a variation from project to project depending on factors such as track class and numbers of grade crossings and bridges to be rebuilt.
Mark
Not sure if this has been discussed before, but this was an article a couple of months back.
CHICAGO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - U.S rail freight infrastructure will need $148 billion in investments by 2035 to meet projected demand, according to a study released on Thursday.
The study was prepared by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Cambridge Systematics Inc., which specializes in transportation policy, planning and management for the Association of American Railroads, an industry lobby group.
The study based its estimates on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s projected 88 percent increase in demand for rail freight over the next 28 years.
The study projects the major railroads’ share of the $148 billion at $135 billion, with $13 billion projected for regional and short line freight railroads. The estimates do not factor in inflation.
The AAR’s members include the four major U.S. railroads: Union Pacific Corp. (UNP.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (BNI.N: Quote, Profile, Research), CSX Corp. (CSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
It must be cheeper to rebuild a line that’s not in use then one that is. If the line was in use you’d be either disrupting traffic and/or only working little bits at a time in windows wich cost time and money.
The restoration of Double Track that CSX did for the ConRail acquisition on the former B&O Chicago Division was approximately $2M a mile…that was building the track out-of-face from the sub grade up to the level of 79 MPH Passenger operations including all necessary signalling for double track CTC operation and all the necessary road crossing protection upgrades. Rehabing track is more than just the rail and ties.
Expensive!
Those numbers seem to decrease the likelihood (already small) of seeing something like the revival of the K.C.-St. Louis Rock Island line. There’s plenty of traffic between the two cities, but there’s probably a cheaper way of accomodating more.
As I understand it, the geology on that route isn’t the most favorable anyway.
I’ll see if I can look at the railbed in question on tuesday. I’m not sure if they left the raised bed alone after taking up the rails n ties.
The cost of rehabilitating a rail line bears very little similarity to the cost of rebuilding a line. The costs mentioned above dealing with rehabilitation should be considered with a healthy dose of sodium chloride…
The cost of rebuilding track is very expensive. Even assuming you already owned the right of way (ROW). Also, if the track was abandoned, which it certainly must have been if the rails have been removed, you would need to reapply to the STB for authority to construct the track. Also, the line would need to be inspected by an engineer, particularly any bridges or other structures to determine their status and need for rehabilitation or reconstruction. Also, an experienced railroad surveyor should be used to determine correct property lines. So you would have legal costs, engineering and property acquisition costs before you even reached the point of laying track again. This is one of the reasons that trails to rails is a rare phenomenon.
The cost of actually laying new track would include rail (new or relay). To carry the modern 286,000lbs loads you would need rail weight of 100# or greater at a minimum. Even relay rail sells for a premium these days given the significant demand for steel in Asia. After rail costs you would need to buy tie plates, joint bars, bolts, spikes, crossties, rail anchors and other fasteners. You would also need bridge timbers, pins, pilings, stringers, caps and any other required timber, steel or concrete bridge components.
Once you assembled all the materials you would still need one or more contractors to perform the work. For example, the cost of a treated 7" x 9" crosstie is nearly $30. Add at least anothe
[quote user=“Limitedclear”]
The cost of rehabilitating a rail line bears very little similarity to the cost of rebuilding a line. The costs mentioned above dealing with rehabilitation should be considered with a healthy dose of sodium chloride…
The cost of rebuilding track is very expensive. Even assuming you already owned the right of way (ROW). Also, if the track was abandoned, which it certainly must have been if the rails have been removed, you would need to reapply to the STB for authority to construct the track. Also, the line would need to be inspected by an engineer, particularly any bridges or other structures to determine their status and need for rehabilitation or reconstruction. Also, an experienced railroad surveyor should be used to determine correct property lines. So you would have legal costs, engineering and property acquisition costs before you even reached the point of laying track again. This is one of the reasons that trails to rails is a rare phenomenon.
The cost of actually laying new track would include rail (new or relay). To carry the modern 286,000lbs loads you would need rail weight of 100# or greater at a minimum. Even relay rail sells for a premium these days given the significant demand for steel in Asia. After rail costs you would need to buy tie plates, joint bars, bolts, spikes, crossties, rail anchors and other fasteners. You would also need bridge timbers, pins, pilings, stringers, caps and any other required timber, steel or concrete bridge components.
Once you assembled all the materials you would still need one or more contractors to perform the work. For example, the cost of a treated 7" x 9" crosstie is nea
These are 1995 estimates, and of course there has been inflation but I doubt that the cost has gone up 10 times in 12 years.
For comparison however “taxpayers” pay the following for the following types of roadways:
State Highway: 3-10 million per mile (Vermont DOT source)
Blended Interstate (rural urban): 20.6 million per mile
BUT HERE IS A PUBLISHED ABSTRACT ESTIMATE OF COSTS FOR REHAB.
RR rehab cost is in bold about halfway down the page.
The data for this estimate is from the Rehabilitation Cost Estimate for the
Missouri & North Arkansas Railways Webb City Branch in the Missouri Rail Plan 1995 Update,
produced by the Missouri Highway & Transportation Department, in June of 1995.
1995 Estimate of Cost to Rehabilitate 1 mile of Line
Rail, #100 Relay 176 tons @ $275 / ton $ 48,400.00
Joints, S.H. 270 @ $9.50 each 2,565.00
Tie Plates, S.H., D.H. 6,000 @ $2.10 each 12,600.00
Anchors, new 4,320 @ $1.05 each 4,536.00
Bolts, new 1 x 5 ½ 11 kegs @ $131
ouuuch. looks like hoping the route to Itasca will ever return IS just a pipe dream after all [sigh]
Don’t dispair yet (although this isn’t a sure bet either). Let’s say there is a 200 mile stretch, and $250,000-$300,000 is a solid estimate. That would equate to 50-75 million to rehab. If the promise of Lott-Lautenburg comes to pass it could yield up to an 80% federal offset. That translates into a cost for your State in the amount of 10-15 million. If a State budget can’t handle that, they’re in more than deep trouble financially.
Here’s another little bit of insider intelligence, out of North Dakota. Last year that State had an oil-tax windfall because of the general increase. What this translated into was a small but good dilemma of the State having to find a way to return some of the revenue that exceeded budgeted expenses. This peculiar situation has afflicted a number of other lower population western states as well-though it hasn’t been widely proclaimed or reported publicly.
[quote user=“Prairietype”]
[quote user=“Limitedclear”]
The cost of rehabilitating a rail line bears very little similarity to the cost of rebuilding a line. The costs mentioned above dealing with rehabilitation should be considered with a healthy dose of sodium chloride…
The cost of rebuilding track is very expensive. Even assuming you already owned the right of way (ROW). Also, if the track was abandoned, which it certainly must have been if the rails have been removed, you would need to reapply to the STB for authority to construct the track. Also, the line would need to be inspected by an engineer, particularly any bridges or other structures to determine their status and need for rehabilitation or reconstruction. Also, an experienced railroad surveyor should be used to determine correct property lines. So you would have legal costs, engineering and property acquisition costs before you even reached the point of laying track again. This is one of the reasons that trails to rails is a rare phenomenon.
The cost of actually laying new track would include rail (new or relay). To carry the modern 286,000lbs loads you would need rail weight of 100# or greater at a minimum. Even relay rail sells for a premium these days given the significant demand for steel in Asia. After rail costs you would need to buy tie plates, joint bars, bolts, spikes, crossties, rail anchors and other fasteners. You would also need bridge timbers, pins, pilings, stringers, caps and any other required timber, steel or concrete bridge components.
Once you assembled all the materials you would still need one or more contractors to perform the work. For example, the cost of a treated 7"