Phoenix Subdivision (Union Pacific Railroad) Explained

Type:Inter-city rail
Freight rail
Locale:Arizona
Start:Eloy, AZ
End:Wellton, AZ
Website:https://www.up.com/
Yearcompleted:1928
Owner:Union Pacific Railroad
Operator:Union Pacific Railroad
Tracks:1
Map State:show

The Phoenix Subdivision is a railroad line in the U.S. state of Arizona owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The southeast end of the line connects to the Gila Subdivision near Eloy, runs northeast to Phoenix, and becomes the Roll Industrial Lead, running southwest before reconnecting to the Gila Subdivision at Wellton.[1], 80miles of the line between Roll and Arlington are out of service and used for car storage.

The railway is used by almost exclusively for freight movements, with about four trains per day . The McElhaney Cattle Company maintains trackage rights over the western 6miles of the line, with traffic consisting of grain cars.

On October 9th 1995, Saboteurs intentionally derailed the Sunset Limited in an event known as the 1995 Palo Verde Arizona Derailment. The perpetrators have never been caught.

Amtrak ran the Sunset Limited on the route until June 1996 when Union Pacific wanted to reduce upkeep costs on the west end of the line; passenger service was rerouted to Maricopa.[2] The line is part of a system of proposed commuter rail lines in the Phoenix metropolitan area and could be reopened to support that.[3]

History

The rail line between Wellton and Phoenix was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad, with passenger service commencing in 1928. The line was downgraded to a branch line in 1997, as most traffic was rerouted via Maricopa.[4]

Sunset Limited Bypassing of Phoenix

On June 2, 1996, the Sunset Limited was rerouted to a more southerly route between Tucson, and Yuma, Arizona, bypassing Phoenix. Union Pacific, which had acquired Southern Pacific earlier in the year, wanted to abandon a decaying portion of its Phoenix–Yuma "West Line", particularly the Roll Industrial Lead, that had previously been used to serve Phoenix. UP demanded that Amtrak pay for the maintenance, which they would not do.[5] This made Phoenix one of the nation's largest cities without direct passenger service; although the designated Phoenix-area stop is in Maricopa, a suburban community about south of downtown Phoenix. Amtrak Thruway service, run by Stagecoach Express, connects the two cities.[6]

Proposals to Reopen the Wellton Branch

Since its closure, officials have intermittently considered different options for how to reopen the line and restore Sunset Limited direct passenger service to Phoenix and potentially launch LA intercity service. The most recent study was conducted by ADOT in an effort to understand the existing condition of the Wellton Branch and to develop improvement scenarios and capital cost estimates for freight and passenger rail service between Arlington and Wellton, a distance of .[7] In that study, it was determined that current freight demand along the Wellton Branch line/ Phoenix Subdivision does not warrant re-opening the Wellton Branch and that Re-opening this corridor solely for passenger service is not cost effective.[8] [9]

Results of ADOT's Wellton Branch Railroad Rehabilitation Study!!Track grade!Freight max speed!Passenger max speed!Total Est. Cost (millions)!Avg. Cost/Route mile (millions)
1Class 2 Track25 mphNA$165.4$1.8
2Class 3 Track40 mph60 mph$194.8$2.1
2AClass 3 w/PTC40 mph60 mph$266.0$2.9
3Class 4 Track60 mph79 mph$420.3$4.6

Phoenix Intermodal Terminal

Phoenix Intermodal Terminal was announced in November 2023,[10] [11] and operation began on February 1, 2024.[12] The facility is located in UP's Phoenix Yard and will serve shipments coming from the Port of Los Angeles.[13] Drayage service will be provide by Duncan & Sons, a local logistics firm.[14]

Sources

Notes and References

  1. News: Bourque . Scott . Q&AZ: What Happened To The Railroad Line West Of Phoenix? . 16 August 2021 . KJZZ 91.5 . September 23, 2019.
  2. Web site: Johnston . Bob . 2024-02-27 . FRA releases long-distance study interim report, invites comments . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229024119/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fra-releases-long-distance-study-interim-report-invites-comments/ . 29 February 2024 . 2024-03-02 . . en-US.
  3. Web site: Bourque . Scott . 2019-09-23 . Q&AZ: What Happened To The Railroad Line West Of Phoenix? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230923234206/https://kjzz.org/content/1186871/qaz-what-happened-railroad-line-west-phoenix . 23 September 2023 . 2024-03-02 . . en.
  4. News: 14 December 2010 . Wellton Branch Railroad Line . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230518024038/http://azmag.gov/Portals/0/Documents/EDC_2010-12-21_AGD.pdf?ver=2017-04-06-111023-563 . 2023-05-18 . 18 August 2021 . Maricopa Association of Governments.
  5. Web site: Johnston . Bob . 2024-02-27 . FRA releases long-distance study interim report, invites comments . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229024119/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fra-releases-long-distance-study-interim-report-invites-comments/ . 29 February 2024 . 2024-03-02 . . en-US.
  6. Web site: November 3, 2019 . Sunset Limited Schedule; Effective November 3, 2019 . January 29, 2020 . Amtrak.
  7. Web site: 2014 . Wellton Branch Rail Rehabilitation Study . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240228063221/https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-programs/state-rail-plan/wellton-branch-rail-rehabilitation-study . 2024-02-28 . 2024-07-12 . ADOT.
  8. Web site: March 2014 . Wellton Branch Rehabilitation Study - Brocure . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331153510/https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/media/2021/12/ADOT-Wellton-Branch-Study-Brochure.pdf . 2024-03-31 . 2024-07-12 . ADOT.
  9. Web site: March 2014 . Wellton Branch Railroad Rehabilitation Study - 2014 Final Report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240330130036/https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/media/2021/12/ADOT-Wellton-Branch-Study-Final-Report.pdf . 2024-03-30 . 2024-07-12 . ADOT.
  10. Web site: Stephens . Bill . 2023-12-08 . Union Pacific to open new international intermodal terminal in Phoenix . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214165051/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/union-pacific-to-open-new-international-intermodal-terminal-in-phoenix/ . 14 February 2024 . 2024-02-14 . . en-US.
  11. Web site: Jensen . Audrey . 1 December 2023 . Union Pacific intermodal railyard in Phoenix sets opening date in 2024 . 2024-03-02 . Phoenix Business Journal.
  12. Web site: 2024-02-08 . Union Pacific opens Phoenix intermodal facility . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240208151629/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/union-pacific-opens-phoenix-intermodal-facility/ . 8 February 2024 . 2024-02-14 . . en-US.
  13. Web site: Phoenix Intermodal Terminal . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214170421/https://www.up.com/customers/premium/intmap/phoenix/index.htm . 14 February 2024 . 2024-02-14 . . en.
  14. Web site: Marsh . Joanna . 2023-11-29 . Union Pacific to operate international intermodal terminal in Phoenix . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231220214414/https://www.freightwaves.com/news/union-pacific-to-operate-international-intermodal-terminal-in-phoenix . 2023-12-20 . 2024-07-02 . FreightWaves . en-US.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Phoenix Subdivision (Union Pacific Railroad)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.