The feasibility of the new LRT system in the city of Bryan and College Station
3.3
Current Freight Rail Operations
The currently existing railroad tracks through Bryan and College Station are used by the single railroad operator, namely Union Pacific, for the purpose of transporting freight. Originally, Southern Pacific Railroad and Missouri Pacific Railroad has been operating rail on the corridor under consideration, but both companies have merged with Union Pacific Railroad leaving it the only operator of the corridor. Union Pacific Railroad Company is operating freight rail from Houston through Bryan – College Station to Dallas/Fort Worth and Waco, respectively. This route is reversed every other day. The majority of rail traffic traverses the area as through-traffic, only a small number of trains actually stop in Bryan – College Station to serve local businesses. Right now, the Bryan – College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (BCSMPO) estimates a traffic volume of 23 trains per day passing through the area on an average weekday. Additionally, during the time between October and March, there are four to six grain trains on the corridor. BCSMPO states that within the two cities there are 24 railserved business located, but only five of them actively receive or ship freight via rail. The MPO’s forecast for freight traffic is that the volume will increase to 40 trains per day in 2025.
3.4
Impact of Freight Rail Traffic
3.4.1 Operations The impact of the projected increased rail traffic in 2025 affects various other aspects of the transportation system in the area and raises safety concerns as well. Due to the fact that the railroad runs through the center of the two cities, there are a high number of at-grade railroad crossings, which causes motorist congestion for vehicles and affects the transportation system significantly. With increased train traffic in 2025 constituting approximately 40 to 48 trains per day the potential for motorist congestion is increased significantly resulting in an increase of travel times and idle time throughout the entire area. According 11 | P a g e