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Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study

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Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study Final Report December 2011 Prepared by Table of Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... i Background .................................................................................................................................. i Existing Conditions .......................................................................................................................ii Alternative Alignments Analysis ..................................................................................................ii Improvements and Investments ................................................................................................. iv Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. ix Section 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 1 Austin-to-Hempstead Corridor ................................................................................................... 7 Section 2: Existing Infrastructure and Operations .......................................................................... 8 Austin-to-Hempstead Corridor ................................................................................................... 9 Hempstead-to-Bryan/ College Station Corridor ....................................................................... 23 Section 3: Alternative Alignments Analysis .................................................................................. 24 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 24 Possible Alignment Alternatives ............................................................................................... 29 Maximum Allowable Passenger Train Speeds .......................................................................... 40 Profile Fatal-flaw Analysis ......................................................................................................... 44 Modeled Alignment .................................................................................................................. 47 Section 4: Corridor Investments – Determination of Rail System Improvements ....................... 52 Rail Traffic Controller ................................................................................................................ 52 The RTC Base Case .................................................................................................................... 53 RTC Planning Cases ................................................................................................................... 54 Estimated Costs......................................................................................................................... 72 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 76 Next Steps ................................................................................................................................. 76 Appendix A: Glossary Appendix B: Inventory and Corridor Photos Appendix C: Land Use Maps Appendix D: Existing Rail Alignment & Potential Curve Modifications Appendix E: Alternative Alignments Appendix F: Environmental Appendix G: Cost Estimates Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study Executive Summary Executive Summary The purpose of the Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study is to analyze the feasibility of implementing 110 mph intercity passenger rail service between Austin and Houston including possible service to Bryan/ College Station. This feasibility analysis consisted of identifying the characteristics of existing rail infrastructure and operations in the study corridors, analyzing potential alternative alignments for the passenger rail operations, and determining required infrastructure and impacts for potential passenger rail service in the study area. Background The segment of rail line constructed from Giddings to Austin in 1871 was the first connection between Austin and other rail lines in Texas. The Giddings-to-Llano rail line was purchased by the City of Austin from Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1986 for $9.4 million (equivalent to $17.5 million in 2010 dollars). Capital Metro purchased the rail line outright from the City of Austin in May 1998 and performs its obligation as a common carrier by contracting shortline rail operators to provide service to freight rail customers along the line. For the purpose of this study, only the East Subdivision portion of the line between Austin and Giddings is included in the Study Area. The East Subdivision of the rail line is currently only operational between Austin and Butler (just east of Elgin) with no existing service and inoperable track conditions between Butler and Giddings, although service by Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to the Lee County Cooperative is accessed via this line segment at Giddings. In addition to obligations for the freight rail sector, Capital Metro’s charge is to provide rapid transit services throughout its service area. The initial phase of transit service on Capital Metro’s MetroRail transit system consists of the 32-mile Red Line that provides commuter rail service between Leander and Austin on Capital Metro’s Central Subdivision. Capital Metro plans to extend transit service at a future date to the MetroRail Green Line on the East Subdivision between Austin Junction and Elgin. Additionally, the potential intercity passenger rail corridors analyzed in this study connect to the Houston rail network at Hempstead via the UP Eureka Subdivision. The Gulf Coast Rail District (GCRD) is currently conducting an independent study for the implementation of commuter rail on the Eureka Subdivision rail line. Train schedules for passenger rail service between Austin and Houston will require coordination with the potential Houston-to-Hempstead commuter trains, MetroRail train schedules established by Capital Metro on the existing Red Line and the future Green Line, and must not i Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study Executive Summary prevent the freight rail operator from executing its contract to fulfill Capital Metro’s common carrier obligation. Existing Conditions The Capital Metro East Subdivision consists of 57.8 miles of mainline track between Austin and Giddings, with 38 railroad bridges for a total length of nearly 5,000 feet, 118 drainage structures (e.g., culverts), three crossings with other rail lines (The Capital Metro Central Subdivision/ Red Line, the UP Waco Subdivision in Elgin, and the UP Giddings Subdivision in Giddings), and 99 at-grade roadway-railroad crossings, 63 of which are public. At Giddings, the East Subdivision meets the abandoned Southern Pacific (SP) right of way, which runs from Giddings to Hempstead. Although the abandoned right of way has been sold, large portions of the corridor remain undeveloped. The majority of the land use along the corridor is agricultural; however, portions of the abandoned right of way have been developed in the areas of Giddings, Burton, Brenham, and Chappell Hill. In particular, the abandoned right of way no longer exists where it runs through the city of Giddings. A grocery store, medical buildings, retail stores, and several other developments in downtown Giddings have been built within the original right-of-way. Freight trains operating on the East Subdivision consist of approximately 10 train trips per week including ethanol trains that operate between Decker and Elgin, switch trains that operate between Decker and Robinson (near the McNeil interchange) on the Central Subdivision, and trains that operate between Butler and Summit on the West Subdivision. The Hempstead to Houston segment of the corridor, although not analyzed in this study, was assumed to be comprised of an alignment along the UP Eureka Subdivision, which terminates in Houston near Loop 610 with a connection to the Houston rail network. The Eureka Subdivision consists of 54 miles of single mainline track with limited sidings between Navasota and Houston and currently averages approximately 5 to 10 freight trains per day. Alternative Alignments Analysis The rail corridors analyzed for potential passenger rail service include the Austin-to-Hempstead corridor, which would ultimately provide passenger service to Houston, as well as a corridor north to Bryan/ College Station. Rail lines to Bryan/ College Station consist of the UP Eureka and Navasota Subdivisions between Hempstead and Bryan as well as the UP Giddings Subdivision between Giddings and Hearne, with a connection to the UP Navasota ii Austin to Houston Passenger Rail Study Executive Summary Subdivision to Bryan from Hearne. Several alignments between Austin and Giddings, Giddings and Hempstead, Brenham to College Station, and Hempstead to College Station were analyzed to identify potential fatal flaws which centered on horizontal and vertical geometry as well as environmental issues. The alignments described as follows
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