Uinta Basin Rail: Difference between revisions

In 1984, the [[Deseret Power Railway]] was built to connect a coal mine in Colorado with a power plant in Utah. The route is similar to a small portion of the unfinished D&SL route; however it is completely isolated from the [[national rail network]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Deseret Western Railway – Deseret Power Railroad |url=http://utahrails.net/utahrails/deseret-western.php| url-status=live | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211114/http://utahrails.net/utahrails/deseret-western.php| archive-date=2021-11-14 |work=utahrails.net |first=Don |last=Strack |publisher=Utahrails.net |access-date=December 12, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

 

[[File:Uintabasinrail-whitmorepark-indiancanyongrade.png|thumb|Map of the Whitmore Park alternative to route the rail line underneath the [[Roan Cliffs]] and West Tavaputs Plateau. Also visible is the existing route of [[U.S. Route 191 (Utah)|U.S. Route 191]].]]

In 2012, the [[Utah Department of Transportation]] (UDOT), working with the regional Six-County Infrastructure Coalition, began studying transportation in the basin, which is a major oil-producing region.<ref name="trains"/> The study determined that the existing infrastructure was unlikely to be able to move the expected volume of oil. In 2013, HDR Engineering, working with the state, began surveying the area for a rail line.<ref name="trains"/> After examining 26 potential routings, the state recommended a route east through the Indian Canyon from the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]'s [[Central Corridor (Union Pacific Railroad)|Central Corridor]] line near [[Soldier Summit, Utah|Soldier Summit]] to [[Duchesne, Utah|Duchesne]] and [[Roosevelt, Utah|Roosevelt]] in the basin.<ref name=UDOT>{{cite report|chapter-url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=22029103377080492|title=Utah State Rail Plan|website=udot.utah.gov|publisher=[[Utah Department of Transportation]]|chapter=1,4,6,7 |pages=20–21,113–114,138–146, 158–159|chapter-format=PDF|date=Apr 2015|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="trains"/><ref name="kuer"/> The right of way would largely follow existing roadways, [[U.S. Route 191 in Utah|US Route 191]] from the rail main through Indian Canyon to the basin and [[U.S. Route 40 in Utah|US Route 40]] once inside the basin.<ref name="trains"/> There would be two terminals for oil trains at the mid and endpoints of the railroad.<ref name="trains"/> The key feature of this route would be a {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} tunnel underneath the [[Roan Cliffs]] of the West Tavaputs Plateau, to bypass the {{convert|9144|ft|m}} mountain pass used by US&nbsp;191 in this area,<ref name=udotmap>{{cite map |url=https://www.udot.utah.gov/main_old/uconowner.gf?n=89563328019277451 |publisher=Utah Department of Transportation |year=2020 |title=Official Highway Map |section=F6}}</ref> that if built would be the longest railroad tunnel in Utah.<ref name="dec2014">{{cite web | url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/1922880-155/leaders-drop-wells-to-rails-plan-for-uinta | title=Leaders drop wells-to-rails plan for Uinta Basin oil | publisher=Salt Lake City Tribune | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324050229/http://www.sltrib.com/news/1922880-155/leaders-drop-wells-to-rails-plan-for-uinta | date=9 December 2014 | access-date=25 April 2015 | url-status=live | archive-date=24 March 2015}}</ref>

Though the EIS was cancelled, UDOT's report was published in 2015 recommending the line as a top priority for Utah's rail infrastructure, noting the strain the lack of rail access is placing on highways that serve the basin, and the price disadvantage caused by lack of rail access compared to other oil-producing regions with rail. The study identified multiple possible rail corridors, stating before selecting the Indian Canyon alternative, they originally considered a route via [[Rifle, Colorado]], but noted this route is mostly in Colorado, not Utah. The state of Colorado was not assisting in the studies or providing funding.<ref name=UDOT/>

 

[[File:Indian Creek Pass Utah February.jpg|thumb|left|Indian Creek Pass along [[U.S. Route 191 in Utah]], the route will tunnel underneath this pass]]

In 2019, the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition (successor agency to the Six County Infrastructure Coalition) partnered with [[Rio Grande Pacific Corporation]], a [[shortline railroad]] holding company, and identified 29 potential rail corridors, using the earlier UDOT study as a base.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uintah Basin Railroad| publisher=Seven County Infrastructure Coalition |access-date=November 22, 2019 |url=http://uintabasinrailway.com/}}</ref> In addition to the routes identified by UDOT, this study considered historical routes surveyed a century prior.<ref name=routeoptions>{{citation |url=http://uintabasinrailwayeis.com/documents/Uinta_Basin_Railway_Alternatives_Evaluation.pdf |title=Seven County Infrastructure Coalition – Uinta Basin Railway Evaluation of Potential route alternatives |author=Seven County Infrastructure Coalition |publisher=Surface Transportation Board |date= March 13, 2019 |access-date= December 29, 2019}}</ref> Their study opined that the line was feasible, and that UDOT had included elements in the design that could be modified or eliminated to cut costs.<ref name=enr>{{cite news |title=Long-Stalled $1.5B Utah Railroad Project Now On Right Track | url=https://www.enr.com/articles/47704-long-stalled-15b-utah-railroad-project-now-on-right-track| url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024162808/https://www.enr.com/articles/47704-long-stalled-15b-utah-railroad-project-now-on-right-track| archive-date=2019-10-24 |access-date= November 22, 2019 |last=Fryer |first=Bryan |publisher=Engineering News Record |work=ENR Mountain States |date=October 2, 2019}}</ref>