FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway has reached a major milestone: The completion of the remaining section of double track on its Southern Transcon in Kansas.
“Monday was a big day for BNSF’s Emporia Subdivision! The last 3.5 of approximately 51 miles of new doubletrack were cut over, about halfway across our Southern Transcon route,” the railway said in a LinkedIn post today.
A high-priority Z-train was the first to roll over the trackage between Rose Hill and Mulvane, Kan.
Only two short pieces of single track are left on the 2,200-mile former Santa Fe main line between Los Angeles and Chicago, both involving bridges: About 1.5 miles at Sibley, Mo., where BNSF crosses the Missouri River, and about 3 miles at Alva, Okla., the crossing of the Salt Fork River.
The Kansas double-tracking project began in 2019 and continued the legacy of the Santa Fe, which in 1992 committed to adding a second main all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago.
I still don’t understand why some ‘lighter’ trains don’t go through Raton. A few trains a day to keep crews qualified, take a few trains off the transcon. I understand it’s a tough piece of railroad but at least get some productive use out of it. Empty hopper or tabletop moves shouldn’t be such a big deal.
Reasons to not run over Raton Pass: 3.5% grades (and 3% eastbound at Glorieta), short sidings, clearance restrictions for some trains, longer running time, longer mileage, more weather delays, tonnage restrictions. There’s absolutely no reason to run any trains this way, even Amtrak, which is costing millions of dollars annually just for two trains per day and is why (even according to Amtrak’s questionable accounting methods) the Southwest Chief posts a greater deficit than any other Amtrak train.
What is status at the Alva bridge. Has any cost estimates been offered? Cost of bridge at Sibley?
I know I was there when the commitment was made to the second main line, but I don’t think most of us in our wildest imaginations ever dreamed it would actually get done.
Truly the Railroad for the 21st Century (and beyond).
Will this reduce traffic on the other route through Wichita?
Probably. It will become secondary now that the main route is double track.
Does anyone know if there are currently any plans to replace or augment these two remaining single-tracked bridges?
Construction of a second bridge at Sibley began in April, 2023.