| Rail Capacity Enhancements | Improvement Classification Level | Estimated Cost | Estimated Public Benefit* |
Ratio: Benefit/Cost |
| Wye at Tower 76 | 1 | $2,800,000 | NA | NA |
| Second Main: Bridge 16 | 1 | $9,600,000 | NA | NA |
| Expand Settegast Yard | 1 | $6,300,000 | NA | NA |
| Lengthen tracks at Pierce Yard | 2 | $15,000,000 | NA | NA |
| Total Identified Improvements | $33,700,000 | |||
*No public benefits of individual rail improvements were identified.
Wye Connection Track between East Belt and Lufkin Subdivisions at Tower 76
Currently, there is no connection between the Lufkin Subdivision and the East Belt Subdivision at Tower 76, commonly called “the Rabbit Crossing”, which is located where the two rail lines intersect under US Hwy 59 just north of the Loop 610 interchange. The Lufkin Subdivision and the East Belt Subdivision mainlines intersect at-grade with a crossing diamond, which does not allow travel from one subdivision to the other at the intersection.
Trains destined for Englewood Yard from the west or the south at Tower 26 must travel either east to Tower 87 or north to Belt Junction to gain access into Settegast Yard. Constructing this wye track would provide an alternative route into Englewood yard, potentially reducing the congestion at other locations and improving the mobility of trains through the Houston terminal area.
Cost
The addition of a wye connection track at Tower 76 is estimated to cost $2,800,000 and is classified as a level 1 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a near-term railroad improvement.
This improvement should undergo further testing to determine the extent of the improvement’s impact on the region’s rail network, and to quantify the associated public and private benefits that may be attained.
Addition of a Second Mainline over Buffalo Bayou (Bridge 16)
The existing single track bridge over Buffalo Bayou is approximately 360 feet in overall length. The approaches at each end of the bridge consist of double track mainlines, making the single track bridge a chokepoint in the rail network on the East Belt Subdivision. Adding a second mainline would require the addition of a parallel railroad bridge over Buffalo Bayou to minimize the impact of this location on the movement of trains.
Cost
The addition of a bridge over Buffalo Bayou is estimated to cost $9,600,000, and is classified as a level 1 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a near-term railroad improvement.
This improvement should undergo further testing to determine the extent of the improvement’s impact on the region’s rail network, and to quantify the associated public and private benefits that may be attained.
Settegast Yard is a major railroad terminal in the Houston area where rail cars are classified, or sorted, into trains that will serve the local industries, exchange with another railroad, or depart the Houston region for other parts of the State or Country. Originally opened in June of 1950, the yard was built on 375 acres and was intended to act as a flat switching yard to fulfill the need for expanded facilities created by the fast-growing Texas Gulf Coast petrochemical industry. Since that time, the yard has grown in size, and function, now incorporating service for intermodal traffic as well.
As a result of the large number of rail cars handled daily and the associated movements of trains through the yard, by-pass tracks are frequently used for dispersing empty and loaded rail cars. At times, local freight trains with commodities for local delivery also occupy the by-pass tracks, making the movement of non-stop trains through Settegast Yard difficult.
Constructing an approximate 9,000 foot passing siding track would permit trains destined for the Beaumont Subdivision via the East Belt Subdivision a dedicated route for movement, eliminating the need to keep a yard track clear for this activity.
An extended trim lead from the south end of Settegast yard through Interstate Junction and east toward the Terminal Subdivision should also be constructed. These improvements could assist in the movement of 10 to 15 trains daily through Settegast Yard, while providing an alternative through route for trains that would normally pass through Tower 26 enroute to the Beaumont Subdivision. This improvement may play an integral role in improving train mobility through the Houston Terminal.
In addition to the bypass track, a separate switching lead at South Settegast Yard toward Pierce Junction dedicated just to the switching trains on the east side of Settegast should be constructed. This additional lead doesn’t entirely eliminate conflicts; there’s no practical way to do that with the available land. However, it keeps the Settegast trains off the two main tracks of the East Belt; allowing many other trains and engines to make parallel and simultaneous moves.
Cost
The expansion of Settegast Yard is estimated to cost $6,300,000, and is classified as a level 1 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a near-term railroad improvement.
This improvement should undergo further testing to determine the extent of the improvement’s impact on the region’s rail network, and to quantify the associated public and private benefits that may be attained.
Pierce Yard is located on the East Belt Subdivision near Settegast Yard and, along with the BNSF Hub Center, plays an important role in the location of rail cars and locomotives needed to properly work Settegast Yard.
In the course of normal yard operations, trains are cut down to a certain length of rail cars, moved to a temporary location, switched onto the track to complete the make-up of a train, and then routed for delivery. In many instances, due to the length of the yard tracks approaching Pierce Yard, these trains occupy the mainline of the East Belt Subdivision and restrict the movement of mainline trains.
Extending the Pierce Yard tracks by approximately 2,500 feet toward the BNSF Hub Center Yard will essentially create a third mainline track in the area through Pierce Yard allowing for the continued bidirectional movement of trains on the East Belt Subdivision without having yard operations at Settegast Yard impact this movement.
Homestead Road spans over the East Belt Subdivision in the area where this line expansion is identified, and, as a result, portions may require reconstruction if the alignment of the track extension cannot avoid the supporting structure of the Homestead Road overpass.
Cost
The expansion of Pierce Yard is estimated to cost $15,000,000, and is classified as a level 2 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a mid-range railroad improvement. This improvement should undergo further testing to determine the extent of an improvement’s impact on the region’s rail network, and to quantify the associated public and private benefits that may be attained.
Identified Improvements
125 East 11th Street . Austin, Texas 78701 
Copyright 2012. Texas Department of Transportation. All Rights Reserved.
