Construction is under way on the first three phases to upgrade the Siskiyou Rail CORP rail line and work will begin this spring and summer to reopen the 95-mile line between Ashland, Ore. and Weed, Calif.
The estimated $95 million project, which will rehabilitate about 65 miles of the corridor including rails and ties, minor repairs to 32 bridges and Tunnel 14, is being made possible by a $7.1 million federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) IV grant. The grant was given to the Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT), southern Oregon counties and private industry and Siskiyou County, Calif. for significant improvements to the Siskiyou rail line, which has not been used since 2008. No funds outside the TIGER IV grant were requested from other public entities; CORP has agreed to provide a 25% match to the project.
When complete later this year, the Siskiyou rail line will connect the original West Coast rail line to the Union Pacific mainline at Weed, Calif. Opening this line will provide faster service and additional transportation options for the delivery of southern Oregon lumber and manufactured goods to national and world markets by avoiding the need to travel by rail north to Eugene to connect to the UP mainline, ODOT said. Currently, region manufacturers must rely on either interstate truck, or rail cars sent to and from Eugene to join the UP mainline. This costs valuable time and money, depending on the chosen transportation mode, the agency added.
Improvements on this section of line in southern Oregon and northern California will renew and improve interstate freight rail options and business competitiveness, help retain and increase regional employment to manufacturing and wood product industries which provide family wage jobs. In addition, rail service has been shown to be both safer and more efficient, reducing congestion by 3.5 trucks for each rail car used, ODOT said.