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) . 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

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 Single 12 passenger trains daily 6 MPH Curves Double Track

13 At-Grade 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 – Brooklyn Yard North End – Brooklyn Yard Previous Situation

800 feet to the hand-throw yard switch Recent Photo (August 2019) from Lafayette Bike/Ped

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) = 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 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 Bike/Ped Overcrossing (under construction) 2. SE 11th “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 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 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 [email protected]