| Rail Capacity Enhancements | Improvement Classification Level | Estimated Cost | Estimated Public Benefit* |
Ratio: Benefit/Cost |
| Third Main: Belt Jct to Spring Jct | 1 | $104,000,000 | NA | NA |
| Siding Extensions - Lloyd Yard | 1 | $4,000,000 | NA | NA |
| Total Identified Improvements | $108,000,000 | |||
*No public benefits of individual rail improvements were identified.
Addition of Third Mainline from Belt Junction to Spring Junction
In the event the BNSF would agree to operate their traffic to/from Temple, Texas on the UPRR Navasota Subdivision from Navasota on the BNSF Conroe Subdivision to Spring Junction, then on the Palestine Subdivision toward Houston, a third mainline would be required to facilitate this operation. With two current mainlines between Belt Junction and Spring Junction, without the BNSF train movements, an additional mainline may not prove to be a financially sound improvement.
Cost
The estimated cost of a third mainline from Belt Junction to Spring Junction on the UPRR Palestine Subdivision is $104,000,000 and is classified as a level 1 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a near-term rail 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.
Siding Extensions - Lloyd Yard
Currently, there are two approximately 3,000-foot siding tracks located to the west of the Palestine Subdivision mainline tracks passing through Lloyd Yard. At their current length, they are not of sufficient length to be used as a staging area for trains inbound to Houston.
Analysis
Extending the two sidings west of the mainline through Lloyd Yard to a clear length of approximately 9,000 feet, however, would provide Houston terminating trains off the Navasota Subdivision a landing slot prior to being queued into the flow of network traffic. Ultimately this would improve operations at Belt Junction while reducing mainline blockage.
Cost
The estimated cost of siding extensions for Lloyd Yard is $4,000,000 and is classified as a level 1 improvement, meaning that the improvement is a near-term rail 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.
Identified Improvements
125 East 11th Street . Austin, Texas 78701 
Copyright 2012. Texas Department of Transportation. All Rights Reserved.
