UPRR Blockage Issues at SE 11Th/12Th Avenue

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UPRR Blockage Issues at SE 11Th/12Th Avenue Train Operations in SE Portland Bill Burgel – Railroad Consultant PFC July 9, 2020 2 1 Agenda 1. Railroad Yard and Train Types 1. In General 2. In Portland 2. Shipping Patterns 3. Inbound (southbound) train operations 4. Outbound (northbound) train operations 5. Courses of Action: 1. Escape Route? 2. Union Pacific 3. Over-crossings ideas 6. Potential Impacts on I-5 What’s changed? 1. More folks living in SE Portland. Development along SE Division essentially complete. 2. SE Portland and Milwaukie plus the entire City all benefit by TriMet’s New Orange Line 3. The State of Oregon and the Greater Portland Area benefit by Union Pacific’s consolidation of intermodal (truck by rail) traffic. Now operating longer trains. HOWEVER Our Neighborhood is Paying the Price Train Types (or, How a Railroad makes Money) Type Yard Commodities Work Events * Manifest Classification/Hump All Many Intermodal Intermodal All Few Unit None Bulk None * Work Event = Number of times the operating railroad “touches” a rail car. Yard Types Classification Yard – Albina Inbound train is broken up and cars sorted into numerous tracks, many fairly short, create “blocks” of cars which are then placed in a certain order into a train. Opposite procedure occurs at destination. Creates many, many work events, including spotting a railcar at industry. Yard Types Intermodal Yard – Brooklyn Yard Inbound/Outbound Trains are left fairly untouched. Containers & trailers are removed from or are taken to train. Oregon products entrained or detrained. A few long tracks with shorter tracks that are paved so that gantry crane can access railcars placed on the shorter tracks. Minimal work events. Intermodal Car One intermodal car consists of 3 to 5 platform cars that can handle 40’, 48’ or 53’ domestic containers. International containers are either 20’ or 40’ long. The intermodal rail car pictured below is one car, 384 feet in overall length. It can handle 40’ containers as a bottom load with 40’, 48’ or 53’ containers as a top load for a total of 10 containers per car. So, a 3-car fill (30 containers) is over 1,000 feet long! Precision Scheduled Railroad (PSR) West Coast Shipping Lanes Outsource Potential is directly proportional to Supply Chain Costs 1.0% Prince Rupert 6.8% 5.7% Roberts Bank, Vancouver, BC 5.0% 18.0% Percentages = Total of North American Intermodal Volume Los Angeles/Long Beach North American Intermodal Traffic Roberts Bank, Vancouver, BC • US Freight Rail System = most efficient in the world • 3PL’s • One ton of freight, 470 miles on one gallon of fuel • Results in US having lowest supply chain costs of 8%, Europe = 15%, China = 20% USA Intermodal Traffic PNW Intermodal Yards Portland Catchment: Rail Yards Vancouver – BNSF Portland & Manifest Vancouver, WA Barnes Yard –UPRR Unit or Bulk Albina Yard – UPRR Manifest Area of Discussion Brooklyn Yard- UPRR Intermodal Union Pacific To Seattle/Tacoma Infrastructure north of To Midwest Brooklyn Yard To Union Station Single Track 12 passenger trains daily 6 MPH Curves Double Track 13 At-Grade Road Crossings Area of Discussion To California Intermodal Trains Entering or Departing Brooklyn Yard • Most Intermodal Trains are 6,500 to 8,500 feet long (longer in other parts of the country) • Trains to/from Midwest, California and Seattle/Tacoma • Add/Subtract Containers – not necessarily Railcars • Add/Subtract Road Locomotives • Typically High-Priority Traffic • Schedules dictated by ship arrival/ departure and longshoremen work rules Brooklyn Yard 1910 4,200 feet long Southern Pacific Transportation Company Initial Construction began at SE Division in 1869 Transcontinental Connection = 1887 Most switching performed at SP’s Eugene Yard Sold to Union Pacific in 1997 Inbound (Southbound) Intermodal Train – 6,500 feet long Automated Derail – Brooklyn Yard North End – Brooklyn Yard Previous Situation 800 feet to the hand-throw yard switch Recent Photo (August 2019) from Lafayette Bike/Ped Bridge 8 Automated Switches 3300 feet 3200 feet Inbound Train Yard switches 6500’ Actual Google Earth Image of Train 6500 ft train Inbound Double-Over 6,500 foot train Initial track: 4,200 feet Double-Over track: 2,300 feet Outbound Train Double-Over 4,200 feet Double-Over + Fill = 3,400 feet (or more) Union Pacific To Seattle/Tacoma Infrastructure north of To Midwest Brooklyn Yard To Union Station Single Track 12 passenger trains daily 6 MPH Curves Double Track 13 At-Grade Road Crossings Area of Discussion To California Outbound Train Double-Over 4,200 feet Double-Over + Fill = 3,400 feet (or more) 3,400 feet (1) Departing outbound train: 6500 feet plus pick-up (say 3 cars) for total train length of up to 7,600 feet. (2) Once double over completed, rules state air test must be performed with brakeman 4,200 feet observing rear car to make sure braking system is operative. (3) Brakeman returns to head end of train. (4) Process can take up to 45” to 50”. Longer if defective railcar is detected. Vicinity Map Existing Conditions Too Complicated? 5 signalized roadways 1 busway 4 tracks Several Bikeways Several Pedestrian Walkways (1) Union Pacific = 24-30 TPD, 6 intermodal trains enter/depart Brooklyn Yard plus several road power moves daily (2) Amtrak = 6 TPD Designated High Speed Rail Corridor (3) TriMet = Orange Line = 144 TPD Busses #2, 9, 70 plus proposed BRT TPD = Trains per Day Too Great an Area? 520 feet from one end of the intersection to the other Frustration: You can’t see what you’re waiting for. Too Exasperating! First a bicyclist, then a TriMet northbound, then a freight train, then a TriMet southbound…now, you’re late….and upset. Mitigation Strategies Collect Data: You can’t go to City Hall with Anecdotal Evidence Mount a camera?, Ask TriMet to report Bus #2& #70 reroutes? Create a reporting system? “Quick Fixes” 1. Gideon Street Bike/Ped Overcrossing (under construction) 2. SE 11th Avenue “Escape Route” Intermediate Fixes 3. Work with Union Pacific on a solution Long Range 4. Design, Fund and Construct Overcrossing 5. Relocate functionality of Brooklyn Yard SE Gideon Bike/Ped Overcrossing SE Clinton MAX Station Gideon Overcrossing Now under Construction SE Gideon Street Overcrossing (looking south) SE Gideon Street Overcrossing Photo taken: July 2020 SE Gideon Street Overcrossing (looking east) SE 11th Avenue “Escape Route” 4,500 sq ft 15 feet West End Escape Route East End Escape Route Concept: Grade Separation over Union Pacific and TriMet (1) SE Milwaukie and SE 11th & SE 12th (2) SE Milwaukie and SE 7th SE 7th Avenue SE 11th and SE 12th SE Division Union Pacific and TriMet Corridor SE Milwaukie SE 11th & SE 12th to SE Milwaukie Critical dimension = 500 feet (yellow line) needed to rise 30 feet at 6% slope over 23.5 feet RR clearance Structure Area = 95,000 SF Fatal Flaw? (1) Constructability (2) And… SE 11th & SE 12th to SE Milwaukie Critical dimension = 500 feet (yellow line) needed to rise 30 feet at 6% slope over 23.5 feet RR clearance No At-Grade Crossing Structure Area = 95,000 SF Here and at SE 8th Avenue Fatal Flaw? (1) Constructability (2) Bike Path (in Blue) SE 7th Avenue Option SE 7th Avenue Option SE 7th to SE Milwaukie Structure Area (blue) = 95,700 SF Roadway Area (red) = 64,000 SF Fatal Flaw? 3rd Option – SE 7th Division Transit Project 3rd Option – SE 7th Design & Cost Issues Bridge and Roadway Costs Structure - $250/SF Roadway - $150/SF Engineering – 10% Environmental -10% Property Acquisition - TBD Who Pays? Contingency – 30% Constructability Union Pacific – 5% of cost of Under vs Overpass structure over ROW Other Factors: TriMet Schedule City of Portland Street Closures (required) Others? What do We Gain with a Grade Separation? 1. A more livable neighborhood with less disruption and congestion. 2. More predictable commutes by car, bike and/or pedestrians. 3. Increased safety for all. 4. Potentially an “engine” for improved routing of inner-city traffic flow. Union Pacific To Seattle/Tacoma Infrastructure north of To Midwest Brooklyn Yard To Union Station Single Track 12 passenger trains daily 6 MPH Curves Double Track 13 At-Grade Road Crossings Area of Discussion To California Coalca = 7,340 feet Coalca Hito to Coalca Coalca to Milwaukie Central Eastside Industrial District Exit 300 Intermodal Train traveling at 6 MPH blocking SE Taylor Street Traffic trying to turn onto SE Yamhill are blocked by the slow moving train; also note that the southbound lane on SE Water Avenue is blocked Exit 300 from I-5 providing access to the Central Eastside Industrial District When Water Avenue backs up onto I-5, access to eastbound I-84 is jeopardized. Yamhill Street is blocked as well as… SE Stark Street Reduce Curvature from 17 degrees to 8 degrees increasing track speed from 6 MPH to 20 MPH Thanks for Listening! Bill Burgel 503 789 4147 bill.burgel@gmail.com.
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