California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

2005-06 – 2015-16 California State Rail Plan
Figure 16B
California Short Line Railroad Commodity Distribution
Agricultural Products
(Grains, Beets, Potatoes,
etc.)
6.6%
TOFC
0.3%
Auto
8.1%
Food Products
(Processed, Frozen, etc.)
22.1%
Minerals (Processed Metals,
Minerals, Cement,
Aggregates, etc.)
11.6%
Other
11.0%
Wood Products
(Lumber, Furniture, Paper,
etc.)
24.2%
Chemical
(LNG, Petroleum, Fertilizer,
HM, Plastics, etc.)
16.1%
UPGRADE COSTS
Significant debate surrounds the magnitude of costs required to upgrade short line
infrastructure to keep the railroads competitive and in business. Most lines
identified the cost of upgrading the current infrastructure as a major impediment to
the success of future operations. A number of the lines submitted specific
estimates for upgrading and improving track, ROW, and intermodal facilities.
These reported costs amount to over $110 million for track and ROW and
$19 million for intermodal facilities.
The project team estimated upgrade costs for all California short lines using a
methodology developed specifically to handle 286,000-pound cars 16 . This
methodology provides unit costs for each track element based on national data.
Since the upgrade cost is primarily mileage driven, the longest short lines, such as
the San Joaquin Valley Railroad and the California Northern Railroad Company,
exhibit the highest upgrade estimates ($31.7 million and $22.6 million,
16 An Estimation of the Investment in Track and Structures Needed to Handle 286,00 lb. Rail Cars, American Short
Line and Regional Association, May 2000.
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