California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

PART II
Freight Rail Element
Chapter XIV–Introduction
The freight rail element of the State Rail Plan provides a detailed account of California’s
freight rail system, how it operates and serves the people living in the Golden State.
This document was developed as part of the State’s overall planning process to
provide information to transportation officials, policy makers, railroad managers,
and transportation planners. The freight rail element begins with an overview of the
State’s rail system. It discusses the routes operated by the Union Pacific and Burlington
Northern and Santa Fe Railroads. The plan looks at the one regional railroad and
28 short line railroads operating on 28 percent of California’s rail mileage. It points
out the important role they play in moving international freight to and from California’s
seaports. The plan also discusses the various types of commodities shipped by rail in
and out of California.
Chapter XV–Major Freight Issues
GoCalifornia is the Administration’s major effort to improve mobility and accessibility
for people, goods, services, and information through a safe, integrated, multimodal,
world-class transportation system. A significant element of GoCalifornia is to invest in
rail infrastructure in partnership with public and private sector interests to enhance
capacity of the freight rail system. Funding critical freight rail improvements to
allow more goods to be shipped by rail will produce substantial public benefits from
congestion relief on freeways and local roads, environmental benefits, and continued
economic growth. Rail improvements are a major element of the Goods Movement
Action Plan (GMAP), a statewide strategy for goods movement capacity expansion.
Freight rail system improvements with substantial public benefits will be identified in
the GMAP and incorporated into the California State Rail Plan.
This chapter discusses issues that impact the railroads’ ability to move freight
efficiently, including: mainline choke points caused by geographic restrictions, mainline
congestion caused by growth in intermodal traffic, and the sharp increase in the
number of passenger trains operating on freight railroads. California Ports show a
doubling of container shipments over the past ten years from seven million in 1995
to 15 million in 2004. Container shipments are expected to more than double again
by 2025. Capacity issues are a growing concern among California’s railroads and rail
shippers.
Executive Summary California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16
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