Louisville and Indiana Railroad Track Upgrade Program Steven P. Lorek PE, HDR Inc
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Louisville and Indiana Railroad Track Upgrade Program Steven P. Lorek PE, HDR Inc. (Lead Author), James Connolly, LIRC NUMBER OF WORDS: 2,880 Abstract The paper and presentation will provide details on the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC) Track Upgrade project concluding in 2019. The major infrastructure improvement project will support increased train traffic over the 106 mile LIRC line. These changes will provide enhanced rail access for the Port of Indiana- Jeffersonville, increase capacity and efficiency along this corridor and improve connectivity for manufacturers, farmers, industrial shippers and other contributors to the area’s economic growth. The improvements will take the line from 263k at 25mph to 286k at 49mph. The paper and presentation will focus on both the program management and implementation of multiple simultaneous construction contracts which include 100 miles of roadbed and drainage improvements, 105 miles of new CWR, various bridge improvements including major pin truss replacement, and rehabilitation of all turnouts and grade crossings over a 4 year span. OUTLINE History Project Background Existing Conditions and Infrastructure Project Development - Segmentation - Annual Progress - Bridge 401.9 - Seymour Diamond and Crossings - Underwood Siding HISTORY The growth potential traces back to the Louisville and Indiana Railroad Company’s (LIRC) roots, which extend to two railroads: the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, which started business in 1838; and the Jeffersonville Railroad, which began operating in 1850. The railroads merged in 1866 and later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads merged in 1968; and after the Penn Central's bankruptcy, the LIRC became part of Conrail in 1976. Anacostia Rail Holdings Inc. bought the Indianapolis-Louisville mainline in 1994 and formed the LIRC. The Louisville & Indiana Railroad was formed in March 1994 to acquire 106 miles of rail line between Indianapolis and Louisville. Today, LIRC hauls a variety of commodities, including cement, chemicals, food products, grain lumber, manufactured goods, paper, plastics, scrap and steel. The LIRC interchanges with two Class Is, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway, and three short lines: the Indiana Rail Road Co., MG Rail Inc. and the Paducah & Louisville Railway. LIRC also serves the Port of Indiana- Jeffersonville, and has transload facilities in Franklin, Jeffersonville and Seymour, Ind. For a period of time between 1940 and 1971, this segment of Pennsylvania RR line hosted passenger streamliner service between Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. The South Wind departed Chicago Union Station and ran through Indianapolis to Louisville Union Station. It then proceeded down the Louisville & Nashville main line to Montgomery. From Montgomery, it ran down the Atlantic Coast Line to Jacksonville. Then down the Florida East Coast Line to Miami. The 1,559 mile trip took approximately 29 hours and 30 minutes at an average speed exceeding 50mph. PROJECT BACKGROUND In 2013, the LIRC and interchange partner CSX filed a request with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for approval of an easement and joint-use agreement under which the Class I would increase the number of trains it runs on the short line's track and invest in infrastructure upgrades and take approximately 7 years to complete. As part of the agreement, the LIRC would sell an easement to CSX. The proposed joint use would allow CSXT to operate overhead traffic (that is, traffic originating from outside the local area) on the LIRC. The operating easement would cover 106.5 miles of the L&I Line between its connection with CSX in Indianapolis at MP 4.0 (the Indianapolis Terminal Subdivision – Louisville Secondary Branch) and its connection with CSX in Louisville at MP 110.5 (the Louisville Connection). CSX proposes to operate an additional 13 to15 trains per day over the LIRC Line, including traffic rerouted from the LCL Subdivision (from Louisville to Cincinnati, Ohio) and Indiana Terminal Subdivision (from Cincinnati to Seymour). The project would help the 106-mile LIRC better serve existing customers and attract new ones and provide CSX more capacity to improve service for its customers in the Indianapolis-Cincinnati-Louisville area. The project would provide the following specific benefits to both CSX and LIRC: • Diverting trains from congested, less-efficient routes to the improved LIRC line would enable CSX to accommodate anticipated business growth and provide better service. • LIRC customers would become more competitive and open to new markets because they'd be able to use 286k gross-weight cars, as well as double-stack and high-cube equipment. • With an additional route between the north and east, and Louisville, CSX would gain the flexibility to improve car utilization and reduce fuel consumption. • The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville would obtain better rail access to markets north of the Ohio River, including routing options for grain and coal, western products via Chicago, and potash from Canada. • Intermodal service to Louisville would benefit southern Indiana markets; services include imports and exports via East Coast ports, coordinated service and access to additional markets via CSX's Northwest Ohio intermodal facility. • An increased ability to handle automotive traffic through Louisville. The railroads labeled the project "South Wind” track upgrade program and received STB approval to proceed on April 10, 2015. EXISTING CONDITIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE The existing LIRC infrastructure had been maintained in good condition as Class 2 track at a maximum authorized speed of 25mph to service local traffic. The primary rail within the network was jointed 130lb with areas of jointed 115lb, 136lb, and 140lb. There were also small sections of continuously welded rail (CWR), primarily 115lb, totaling approximately 5 miles in varying lengths to support specific operations or curves. The track roadbed was in good condition with a few areas raised over time with less than optimal shoulder and side slopes. Structures were also in good condition and a capitol improvement program was in place to address any deficiencies from annual inspections. The system has two major structures within it at MP 40.19 over the Flatrock River in Columbus, IN and MP 108.11 over the Ohio River in Louisville, KY. The Bridge 40.19 is a 100 year old pinned truss span on masonry piers with both speed and weight restrictions. Bridge 108.11 is a 5,000 ft multi span bridge crossing the Ohio River with a vertical lift movable span over the navigable channel. There is a current program to improve condition and reliability of this structure but will not be the focus of this paper. For the purposes of this upgrade project, the proposed rail infrastructure upgrades primarily included: replacement of the existing 130 pound jointed rail with heavier CWR, associated turnouts and crossovers, incremental tie replacement, and replacement of Bridge 40.19 over the Flatrock River. In addition, other infrastructure improvements required to support CWR and standard roadbed section include general roadbed and alignment correction, undercutting, all affected crossing surfaces, and drainage improvements. The improvements will bring the LIRC up to Class 4 standards and enable an increase in maximum train speeds from the existing 25 miles per hour (mph) to 49 mph and move double-stacked and multi-level railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds gross weight. Detailed breakdown of work tasks to be completed include: - Primary Items o 105 Miles of 136 lb CWR o 40 Turnouts, 3 Crossovers o 51,500 Ties o Bridge 40.19 Replacement - Additional Items to Support CWR o 10 Miles of undercutting o 262,000 Tons of ballast o 158 Crossings (207 Total) o 105 Culverts (230 Total) o Seymour Realignment o Clagg Realignment PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Upon The program delivery team included a robust and capable LIRC team lead by roadmaster James Connolly. The LIRC team was supplemented by a program manager which would assist with coordination of: engineering, environmental, property services, public outreach, and construction management and inspection. LIRC brought in multiple consultants and contractors to collaborate on solutions to completing the total upgrade project. It was decided that focus should be put on implementation of upgrade segments that would deliver the highest return on investment for operational benefits of the train speed increase. The project was segmented into manageable sizes. Understanding that the Seymour, IN connection is a project critical CSX intersection with the LIRC, it was determined that Seymour (MP 50) south would be the starting point. And implementation would progress south until the Louisville Connection than proceed back North from Seymour until Indianapolis. This will the team to procure materials and begin work immediately while allowing time for Bridge 40.19 design and construction and coordination with communities on the northern end of the line. LIRC was able to rely on qualified internal resources and trusted partners to manage critical aspects of the project start up. A designated accounting and procurement manager was assigned to the project to handle all the material procurement and budget reconciliation. A strategic communications lead worked with LIRC property services partner and the legal team to develop a safety campaign for local communities. Communicating out ahead of the project helped alleviated local concerns about how this project was