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Sierra Club releases Rail Transportation Statement

Earlier this month, Sierra Club released a statement regarding passenger and freight rail, and rail electrification. It aims to inform the public on how rail investments have benefits such as fighting climate change, increasing equitable mobility, and creating good jobs. It also includes recommendations on how to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for rail.

“This is more than just an update,” said Anne Macquarie, Co-Chair of the Nevada Rail Coalition and member of the Transportation Committee of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter. “It is Sierra Club’s comprehensive re-visioning of the role rail  –  both passenger and freight – must play in a post-carbon economy.” Macquarie was on the team that wrote the statement.

The statement makes broad and specific recommendations for passenger rail, freight rail, rail labor and education, rail electrification, and federal railroad policy reform. It outlines how passenger rail should be fast and reliable enough to compete with cars, and convenient for all types of travel, not just commutes. For freight rail, it recommends investments that encourage safe, energy efficient, and cost-effective movement.

In order to support this, the statement asks the federal government to develop training programs to make sure railroad personnel are prepared the operate this improved rail network, to develop rail electrification programs with heavily-polluted trackside communities as a priority, and to implement a version of European fee-based rail rentals that allows equitable access to railroads for all types of movement.

“Partnerships and coalitions with (rail workers’) unions can amplify and enhance our work by providing political strength and hands-on knowledge of the freight and passenger rail industry,” concludes the statement in a section that outlines next steps for Sierra Club and its members. The Nevada Rail Coalition, of which Sierra Club is a member, brings together unions and environmental organizations with the purpose of building an expanded and more robust rail system.

“I hope our partner transportation activists – both within the Sierra Club and in other organizations – can make extensive use of it,” Macquarie said regarding the statement.

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July Linkpost

Image courtesy of Mark Lovgren

Read on for a roundup of the important rail news and commentary in and around Nevada, along with some of our thoughts on it.

A rail line from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City?
Joanne Leovy on July 2nd, 2023 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Putting the fun back in travel.

Op-ed in favor of the Nevada Department of Transportation supporting Utah’s grant proposal to study reinstating rail service from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. Read our article on the study here.

Las Vegas is going big on Bus Rapid Transit. So, what is it?
Geoff Carter on July 13th, 2023 in Las Vegas Weekly
BRT, at its best, should feel something like light rail without the rails.

“Light rail was seriously considered, but the funding wasn’t there to support it, so RTCSNV pivoted towards Bus Rapid Transit.” While we’d also prefer light rail with the rails, RTCSNV shares some interesting ideas for improving Las Vegas’s bus infrastructure here.

South Las Vegas could transform with high-speed rail, resort, arena planned
Patrick Blennerhassett on July 16th, 2023 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
One California developer has taken the leap and is constructing a giant apartment complex in the corridor south of the Strip. Now, with other significant projects planned, the area could change forever.

With Brightline West moving towards a groundbreak later this year, developers and investors are thinking up ways to reshape the south Las Vegas corridor.

Federal regulators seek feedback on plan to collect train length data
Joanna Marsh on July 24th, 2023 in FreightWaves
The Federal Railroad Administration wants more data on train lengths so that the agency can better assess what impact, if any, longer trains might have on operations.

The Nevada Legislature passed a bill this legislative session that would restrict freight train lengths but the Governor vetoed it.

FRA’s Long-Distance Study Produces Map of Expanded Amtrak Services
Justin Franz on July 31st, 2023 in Railfan
A map that was recently shared at town hall meetings shows a dramatically expanded long-distance network.

New United States rail system map just dropped. Check out that green line from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas (to Barstow).

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Brightline West “moving towards a ground-break later this year.”

Illustration of Brightline west train speeds through a valley with lanes of blurry traffic on either side.
Illustration provided by Brightline West.

It’s been a busy summer for Brightline West, the planned passenger rail service connecting Las Vegas to southern California. After clearing several major hurdles, Brightline West’s president Sarah Watterson said in a statement that they are “moving towards a ground-break later this year.”

On June 28th, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) and Brightline West are receiving a $25 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant to design and build the Victor/Apple Valley and Hesperia stations on the route to Rancho Cucamonga from Las Vegas. The grant is going to SBCTA because they will be responsible for building the stations.

Two weeks later, on July 12th, environmental review and permitting for the Hesperia/Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga part of the line was finished. The Federal Rail Administration found no significant environmental impacts. The nearly 50 miles of line would be within the right of way of Interstate Highway 15. Brightline plans to invest an additional $800 million towards improvements to the I-15 corridor.

This finding of no significant impact includes the Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga stations. Hesperia’s station also contains the maintenance facility and a power substation. The Las Vegas to Apple Valley section of the line was approved in 2011 and reviewed in 2020.

Last week, on August 1st, the Clark County Commission unanimously passed a resolution supporting an additional $3.75 billion grant for the Nevada Department of Transportation through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“When completed, the Brightline West high-speed route between southern California and Las Vegas will provide key access to rail transportation to a growing, diverse population now critically unserved by passenger rail,” said the Nevada Rail Coalition in a letter to USDOT in March. “Brightline West will serve as a powerful example of the possibilities of high-speed rail for other cities and regions.”

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Nevada had the potential to be a trailblazer in rail safety, but the bill was vetoed

tracks leading toward mountains
Tracks leading towards mountains.

Assembly Bill 456, a railway safety bill, would have required the length of freight trains not to exceed 7,500 feet, established requirements for installation and operation of wayside detector systems, and required stopped trains to clear railroad crossings upon the approach of emergency vehicles. The bill was designed to decrease the chances of major railway accidents like the one in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year, but it was vetoed by Governor Lombardo. Nevada Rail Coalition member organizations condemned this veto and are committed to continuing to advocate for rail safety.

“The longer we go without reforming our state’s railroad regulations, the closer we get to experiencing a tragedy like the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. With this legislation, Nevada could have been a leader in railroad safety; now, we run the risk of becoming a national headline in the future,” said Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez. The Nevada State AFL-CIO is one of the Nevada Rail Coalition’s member organizations.

The Bill

The bill would have prohibited a railroad company doing business in Nevada from running (or allowing to be run) a work or freight train longer than 7,500 feet on tracks that see 5,000,000 gross tons or more of freight railroad traffic in a year (main lines) or any tracks that branch off from main lines. Jason Doering, Chair and Director of The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division (SMART-TD), one of the Nevada Rail Coalition’s member organizations, says this is “aimed to tackle the ongoing risks posed by dangerously long trains”. A longer train means more opportunities for mechanical issues and a longer walk to fix them, an increase in difficulties with radio communications, and in an emergency braking scenario, a drastic increase in the chances of derailment.

“Wayside”, when used in reference to trains, refers to the area around rail tracks within the footprint of the rail, and wayside objects include signals, overhead lines, and crossing gates. A wayside detector is an electronic device that scans passing trains for defects like overheating wheel elements, dragging equipment, excessive height or weight, unbalanced loads, and overheating rail. Doering says wayside detector systems are “proactive tools for identifying rail issues before they become full-blown accidents.”

The bill would have required certain features, distances, and operating procedures for these wayside detector systems. It requires the systems to include a hot box and hot wheel detector (to catch overheating wheel elements), a dragging equipment detector, and an alarm that sounds over an assigned radio frequency. It also requires the systems to be installed no more than 10 miles from each other (or 15 miles, in areas with difficult terrain).

Additionally, the bill requires trains to cut, separate, or otherwise move out of the way of emergency vehicles at railroad crossings, unless it’s impossible to do so due to mechanical failure. Doering says this is to address “consistently blocked crossings.”

The Veto

In his veto message, Governor Lombardo said that while Nevada certainly doesn’t want to have a major railway disaster similar to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the bill was a “policy overreach” and may not be constitutional. Specifically, he posited that it may run afoul of Supreme Court precedent regarding interstate commerce, referencing the 1945 case Southern Pacific Co. v. Arizona.

The Response

SMART-TD views this veto as “siding with corporate greed and their bottomless lobbying budgets over safety”. SMART-TD also doesn’t buy the core argument.

“Before the enactment of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) of 1970, the 1945 ruling might have held sway. However, the FRSA directly addressed this antiquated ruling, granting states authority over safety matters and thus superseding the outdated precedent,” SMART-TD said in their statement. “[49 U.S. Code § 20106] empowers states to enforce more stringent safety laws aimed at eliminating or reducing local safety or security hazards… Had AB456 become law, we are confident that Nevada’s Attorney General, Aaron Ford, would have robustly defended this crucial rail safety measure against any legal onslaught by the railroad industry.”

SMART-TD views this veto as a result of the influence of the rail industry. “The Governor’s decision, together with the Nevada Republicans’ unanimous siding with the railroads, signals a disturbing commitment to the railroad lobby over the state’s residents’ safety,” they said in their statement. “Their voting record paints a disturbing picture of their priorities, consistently placing industry profits over safety.”

“Advocacy for rail safety is not merely about laws and regulations; it’s about valuing lives over logistics, communities over commerce. Nevada has the potential to be a trailblazer in the arena of rail safety, paving the way toward a secure future where catastrophic derailments are not just improbable but impossible,” said Doering. “This can only happen if we remain resolute in our mission to build a robust rail system that puts safety first, in every facet, on every track, for every Nevada resident. We refuse to allow Assembly Bill 456’s veto to derail our pursuit of rail safety, and we stand committed to making Nevada synonymous with safe, secure, and progressive rail systems. Our journey may be long, our battles hard-fought, but we will not waver, for every step we take, every law we advocate, and every measure we implement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to safety, responsibility, and progress.” You can hear more from SMART-TD in their video about the bill here.

The Nevada State AFL-CIO also condemned this veto. “We are extremely disappointed by Governor Lombardo’s decision to veto Assembly Bill 456, and we would have expected better from him as someone who has vowed to keep Nevada’s communities safe…. Our rail workers deserve better. Our communities deserve better. I can only hope that one day, we don’t have to experience devastation due to our leaders’ carelessness. The Nevada State AFL-CIO will continue to be a primary advocate for the safety of our workers and our state as a whole,” said Martinez.

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Utah Seeks Funding to Study Restoration of Passenger Rail Between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas

Amtrak train coming out of the tunnel on Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada.
Image courtesy of Mark Lovgren Photography

Earlier this year, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) applied for a $500,000 grant through the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development Program to study restoring passenger rail service between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

According to a UDOT presentation, the estimated travel time between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas would be between 7 and 9.5 hours each way, based on a former Amtrak line named Desert Wind. While the route is not finalized, it could use the existing rail lines in the corridor, the main one of which goes through Caliente, NV. The study could also include looking into bus or rail services between Cedar City, UT and Las Vegas, with proposed stations in Utah and one in Mesquite, NV.

The proposal refers to the study area as the “Desert Wind Corridor,” after Amtrak’s former rail line that connected Chicago to Los Angeles through Salt Lake City, Ogden, UT, and Las Vegas. The Desert Wind was discontinued on May 12, 1997 after budget cuts, days after the Salt Lake City to Boise line was also ended. Boise officials also applied for a grant to study restoring that service, in coordination with the Utah officials.

“Restoring this service would provide a lower-emission alternative to car and air travel between two major metropolitan areas, which both experience huge amounts of domestic and international tourism,” explained Vinny Spotleson, the volunteer Chair of Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter. “When combined with the Brightline West train under construction between southern California and Las Vegas, we are looking at rail service connecting the west in ways that will provide benefits to the entire region ahead of the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles. This would help our environment and help develop rural tourism in areas like Caliente which have amazing outdoor recreation opportunities.”

In a letter sent earlier this year to Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration, the Nevada Rail Coalition advocated for the restoration of the Desert Wind service.

“Las Vegas – Nevada’s largest city, home to 87% of the state’s population, and a destination for 38.8 million visitors annually – currently has no passenger rail service at all,” said Anne Macquarie, Co-chair of the Nevada Rail Coalition in the letter. “Restoration of the Desert Wind will provide key access to long-distance rail transportation for a growing, diverse population now critically unserved by passenger rail.”

UDOT also worked with Amtrak, the Utah Transit Authority and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) on the proposal. NDOT provided a letter of support and helped acquire other support letters from Nevada elected officials and other partners. Officials stressed that there is no obligation to actually run the line after the study concludes.

The FRA program’s goal is to fund projects that “guide intercity passenger rail development” and encourage the development of “a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation.” It was created out of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s rail improvement investments. The agencies expect a decision on the grant funding in September.

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June Linkpost

Amtrak train traveling through the Nevada desert.
Image: Mark Lovgren Photography

Read on for a roundup of the important rail news and commentary in and around Nevada, along with some of our thoughts on it.

Rail, mass transit projects are needed
Steve Fong on June 1st, 2023 in The Nevada Independent
Improvements to the bus system, bike infrastructure and especially extending the Las Vegas Monorail would be better for carless travelers and actually help all Clark County residents given the metro area’s incredible growth.

Op-ed in favor of building train infrastructure like Brightline West over expanding highways.

Could the A’s stadium breathe new life into Las Vegas Monorail?
Richard N. Velotta on June 4, 2023 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Monorail is headed for decommissioning around the time a new stadium for the Las Vegas A’s would open. But would ridership increase with the stadium?

As the author explains, the answer is almost certainly no, but he makes the argument for why a hypothetical expansion of the Monorail across the street to the equally hypothetical A’s stadium across the street would be a win for tourists and locals’ movements anyway.

New Railroad Museum Visitor’s Center Coming to Boulder City
C.C. McCandless on June 7, 2023 on FOX5 Vegas
After the passage of the Capital Improvement Bill, AB 1, The Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City was granted final approval for the construction of a new museum Visitor’s Center.

Railroads were vital to our state’s past! Let’s continue to work to make them part of its future.

Amended A’s stadium bill would restrict location, resurrect two vetoed bills
Sean Golonka, Tabitha Mueller, Jacob Solis on June 13, 2023 in The Nevada Independent
The changes arrive after the bill, SB1, came under withering scrutiny in a Senate hearing last week that stalled the special session convened by Gov. Joe Lombardo to consider the legislation and pushed negotiations into this week.

One of the resurrected vetoed bills that made it into the A’s stadium bill was language that requires rail and monorail projects to comply with Nevada’s prevailing wage law. The stadium bill was eventually passed.

Transportation projects, Knights get a lift from LVCVA board
Richard N. Velotta on June 13, 2023 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Of the $70.5 million total, $60 million is dedicated to a three-year extension of an operations and maintenance agreement with Western Management Group for the Las Vegas Monorail.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority funds the Las Vegas Monorail for another three years.

Track to railway museum restored
Mark Bassett on June 28, 2023 in The Ely Times
On Friday, June 16, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum and the White Pine Public Museum witnessed a historic moment.

Another blast from the past as a 1917 locomotive traveled between the two museums on a 117-year old restored track.

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Nevada Rail Coalition comment on Amtrak long distance rail study

Read our article on the study here.

March 10, 2023

On behalf of the Nevada Rail Coalition, I want to thank and support the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak and its partners in taking on the crucial Amtrak Long Distance Service Study.

Established in 2021, the Nevada Rail Coalition is a citizen-based initiative that brings together unions, environmental organizations, passenger/freight rail advocacy associations, social justice organizations, and community associations for the purpose of building an expanded, robust rail system in Nevada and
neighboring states as the keystone of a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable and socially just transportation system. Here is a link to our website

The Nevada Rail Coalition offers below our recommendations, and the reasons for them, for improvements to the California Zephyr route and the restoration of the Desert Wind between Los Angeles and Denver.

Restore the Desert Wind between Los Angeles and Denver

As shown in the chart below, the three major intermountain western cities formerly served by the Desert Wind have grown substantially since the service was discontinued in 1997.

Population growth 1997-2022: Intermountain West cities served by former Desert Wind

City1997 Population2022 Population% Growth 1997-2002
Las Vegas392,0742.839 million724%
Salt Lake City171,5881.203 million701%
Denver495,8052.897 million584%

Las Vegas – Nevada’s largest city, home to 87% of the state’s population, and a destination for 38.8 million visitors annually – currently has no passenger rail service at all. Restoration of the Desert Wind will provide key access to long-distance rail transportation for a growing, diverse population now critically unserved by passenger rail.

A restored Desert Wind would also serve currently unserved rural towns in Nevada and parts of Utah, or, in eastern Utah and Colorado, rural communities served only by one daily California Zephyr. The route between Denver, CO and Glenwood Springs, CO is the top long-distance station pair serving a small community by volume of annual trips, and the route between Glenwood Springs, CO and Granby, CO, is one of the top ten station pairs connecting two small communities. These statistics, taken from FRA’s slide show about the Amtrak Long Distance Service Study prepared for regional working groups [slides 123 and 124], show significant existing demand for services to and between rural communities in the intermountain west.

Improvements to California Zephyr Route

Service to Rural Communities

The daily California Zephyr, though designed as and designated a long-distance route, is a critical transportation resource to residents of the small towns of northern Nevada. As in many rural areas in the US, northern Nevada towns are underserved – if even served at all – by public transportation. According to Nevada’s State Rail Plan, “following Greyhound Lines’ abandonment in 2018 of its parallel services, Amtrak represents the only public transport option between these cities [of northern Nevada].” So residents who do not own an automobile or are unable to drive use the Zephyr to access key services – including medical visits – in cities to the east and west along the Zephyr route.

To enhance service to Nevada’s rural communities, we request that

  • The FRA/Amtrak consider adding two California Zephyr stops in northern Nevada, in Wendover and Lovelock.
  • Amtrak make the improvements outlined in Nevada’s State Rail Plan including improvements to existing Amtrak stops in Elko to make the trains more safely and conveniently accessible to disabled and elderly passengers. [Nevada State Rail Plan, Page 3-6]
  • Amtrak expands California Zephyr service to twice daily.

Service to California

Northern Nevada has a growing population and a rapidly expanding economy:

  • Population in Washoe County, NV, which includes the cities of Reno and Sparks, grow 15% from 2010-2022. Other communities in northern Nevada -Carson City, Douglas County, Fallon – also grew by about 15% in that time period.
  • The student population of the University of Nevada, Reno, grew from 17,679 to 20,722 from 2010 to 2022. This includes a substantial non-Nevada-resident student population. According to the Reno Gazette Journal, “In five years, UNR’s nonresident undergraduate enrollment has more than doubled.”
  • Northern Nevada is seeing rapid growth in jobs. According to the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, in 2022, 27 companies relocated or expanded their workforce in Greater Reno-Sparks. “The companies will add a combined 2,263 new jobs, at a record average wage of $32.67, along with 12 new headquarters.”

This growing population is not adequately served by one daily California Zephyr. Accordingly, we request that California Zephyr service be expanded to twice daily. Further, though we understand that it is outside the scope of this study since it is not a route at least 750 miles long, we request that FRA/Amtrak work with California’s Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Nevada Department of Transportation, and the Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission to expedite the extension of the existing Capitol Corridor passenger train service to Reno.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Anne Macquarie

Co-chair, Nevada Rail Coalition

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Inching towards Vegas: Brightline West Releases Environmental Documents for Cajon Pass

High Speed Rail Alliance reports that Brightline West has released an Environmental Assessment for the Cajon Pass section of the Las Vegas to Southern California high-speed rail project. This is an important milestone that had to be completed before construction could begin.

Graphic from High Speed Rail Alliance

In a newsletter to members, High Speed Rail Alliance writes:

“The Cajon Pass Segment is a 49-mile high-speed line between Victor Valley and Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The segment includes two new railway stations, one in Hesperia and another in Rancho Cucamonga, while the Victor Valley station is part of a previous environmental report. For this segment, Brightline West is proposing to use 48 miles of I-15 right-of-way and the station at Hesperia, under a lease agreement with the California Department of Transportation.

Brightline West also recently reached an agreement to acquire five acres for the station at Rancho Cucamonga. This station is a critical part of the project, as high-speed trains will connect with Metrolink here, allowing riders access to and from LA Union Station and over 60 other Metrolink stations. High-speed rail service could eventually be extended from Rancho Cucamonga directly into LA Union Station, connecting to the California High-Speed Rail network.

As Brightline West continues to move forward, there’s optimism that we could have American high-speed rail in operation by the end of the decade.”

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Improved passenger rail from Sacramento to Reno – need your voice!

Sacramento-Reno Rail Extension Study: It appears local transit agencies are actually talking seriously about better passenger train service between Reno and the Bay Area! Please take this short survey to let them know northern Nevadans want better transportation options than driving on dangerous, crowded I-80 over the mountains.

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Passenger Rail Comeback?

From the Christian Science Monitor in August: All Aboard: Why rail travel is making a comeback

‘Passenger rail is handling the double whammy of a summer vacation surge and end-of-pandemic travel bump well – or at least better than its competitors. Amtrak, which has a monopoly on long-distance rail travel, has hurriedly restored services it mothballed during the worst of COVID-19. Ridership is up, too, reaching 85% of pre-pandemic levels in the Northeast and showing a promising pattern elsewhere. The company is even opening up new lines.”

More here: https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2022/0805/All-aboard-Why-rail-travel-is-making-a-comeback

V&T Steam Engine emerging from a tunnel in Gold Hill, Nevada.