Bottlenecks and projects

Traffic jams, emergency service delays, health concerns from coal dust or diesel fumes, and diminished property taxes were among potential impacts discussed at a public meeting held 3 1/2 years ago in Columbus by the Stillwater Protective Association.
Montana Rail Link Superintendent Mark Smith, one of the panelists, said the company planned to eventually run 31 trains per day through Columbus. But, “it’s going to take a lot of time and a ton of money,” he said.

Train traffic
In their 2014 report “Heavy Traffic Still Ahead,” transportation experts Terry Whiteside and G.W. Fauth warned about impacts to Montana’s rail system by increasing coal train traffic from the Powder River Basin.
While MRL based their estimates on coal exports to Asia at 50 million tons per year, the authors focused their report on “potential” shipment levels based on proposals announced for export terminals in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.
Potential coal shipments were projected to increase from about 12 million tons in 2013 to about 170 million tons by 2023, the authors said. Based on those figures, the number of coal trains, loaded or empty, could be 27-36 per day in 2019 and 47-63 per day in 2024.
“The report is not a crystal ball and does not offer an opinion on whether ports will be built, or coal contracts signed,” the authors said. “What it does tell citizens, policy makers, other shippers, local governments, and state and federal decision-makers is what to anticipate if the announced or published plans come to fruition.”
According to Whiteside and Fauth, coal trains from the Powder River Basin converge at Jones Junction, near Huntley, and then travel west on MRL track about 25 miles through Billings to the Mossmain Junction, east of Laurel.
From there, coal trains can take the shorter MRL route through Helena and Missoula to Spokane, Wash. or head north on a BNSF line through Great Falls to BNSF’s main track along the Hi-Line.

Bottlenecks
Currently, all Powder River Basin coal trains take the 564-mile MRL route to Sandpoint, Idaho, where they access a 70-mile BNSF track to Spokane.
Whiteside and Fauth report that this BNSF connection “already has serious capacity issues.”
Another bottleneck is the MRL track from Huntley to Mossmain, particularly where it runs through Billings. Whiteside and Fauth estimate the city of Billings could face infrastructure costs ranging from $18 million to $150 million to mitigate impacts from increased rail traffic – especially at-grade track crossings blocked by mile and a quarter long unit trains.
The northern route also has problems. The 322-mile line from Mossmain to Shelby lacks a Centralized Traffic Control system and has a significant amount of deferred maintenance, Whiteside and Fauth report.
Citing Association of American Railroads estimates, the cost of converting the Mossmain to Shelby line to the CTC system alone could be $225 million, the authors said. Other needed improvements would include double tracks and upgrades to bridges and at-grade track crossings.
Once coal trains reach BNSF’s main line in northern Montana, they would have to compete for track space with oil trains from the Bakken fields in North Dakota as well as grain trains, general freight trains and Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger trains.
“Current rail traffic, such as export grain traffic and import and export intermodal container traffic, would likely experience a deterioration of rail service, such as higher transit and cycle times, and would likely incur higher costs in the form of higher freight rates and equipment costs,” the authors concluded.

MRL projects
There are two ways MRL can handle increased train volume on its main line – add main line tracks and build more sidings to park idle trains.
The Spurling project, a large construction project currently underway between Park City and Laurel, will provide MRL with four new siding tracks to stage westbound unit trains.
“The Spurling project will reduce congestion and create capacity in the Laurel yard, resulting in the ability to move trains into the yard that previously would be staged east of Laurel ,” MRL spokesman Lewis said.
The Laurel yard is the largest switching terminal between Minneapolis and Seattle. The 350-acre site has 33 tracks and averages 2,100 carloads per day, converging from five different lines.
When completed, the multi-million dollar Spurling project will accommodate three unit trains composed of 100-120 grain or coal cars. The 12-month long construction project is expected to be completed this spring.
Another project completed several years ago added a fueling station on the mainline track in the Laurel rail yard so locomotives don’t need to detach from unit trains and go to the roundhouse to refuel.
“Over the past two years, MRL has invested nearly $25 million in siding and rail yard expansion projects that have resulted in additional capacity and 20 percent improved transit times across the MRL network,” Lewis said.

The state’s role in rail safety
To evaluate the state’s overall railroad safety program, the Montana Public Service Commission scheduled a roundtable discussion in Helena on Jan. 20.
While derailed oil trains on BNSF Railway’s main line that have exploded and burned are a major concern, the PSC also wanted to consider new rules to address local safety concerns over blocked railroad crossings caused by increased rail traffic.
But in a Nov. 27 opinion piece, Commissioner Roger Koopman, R-Bozeman, noted that his fellow members want to increase the PSC’s role in railroad safety, but the Montana Legislature has not provided the PSC with the money to do the job.
Koopman explained that the PSC was originally established as the Board of Railroad Commissioners before it took on the role of overseeing communications and other forms of transportation. Over the years, Congress consolidated railroad safety enforcement under the Federal Railroad Administration, leaving the state’s role as “optional,” Koopman said.
In the case of Montana, the PSC has participated in the FRA’s optional rail safety program since 1999, “employing twice as many inspectors as North Dakota,” Koopman said.
“While private rail companies like BNSF, Montana Rail Link and Union Pacific perform weekly inspections of tracks and equipment, it is important to have an independent group of inspectors to ensure the highest degree of safety possible,” Koopman said.