Fremont, Nebraska’s $10 Million Dollar Mistake

Fremont, Nebraska’s $10 Million Dollar Mistake

10 April 2014

Copyright © 2014 – Mark’s What the Bleep! & 470Media

For many years, the leadership of Fremont, Nebraska has been pushing for a viaduct over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF Railway) crossing at West 23rd and Airport Drive.

This viadock would be a annoying site, force some businesses to relocate, drive down property values, and be a total waste of taxpayer, railroad, state, and federal monies.

Why?

During no part of this process has anyone in Fremont’s leadership called together both of the railroads involved, those being BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad to discuss how to better coordinate train movements to minimize or even eliminate blockages of BNSF Railway crossings either north or south of the UPRR Diamond. 

While The Fremont Northern Railroad is also involved in this process as their crossing at West 23rd is involved, the Federal Railway Administration shut down the tracks in 2013.  Fremont Northern Railroad’s issues will be discussed in a soon to be written article.

Here’s how things work, and where the root of the cause of BNSF Railway crossings being blocked through Fremont occur.

BNSF Railway (BNSF) and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) operate tracks through Fremont, which for the most part are in different directions, except through the central part of the city. 

BNSF Railway’s Sioux City Sub-district is a heavily utilized north – south line starting at Ashland, Nebraska and ending at Dakota City, Nebraska.  This line continues northward into Iowa and Minnesota

Union Pacific Railroad’s tracks approach Fremont from the east, via the Blair Sub-district, the southeast via the Omaha Sub-district, and the west via the Columbus Sub-district.  The Omaha and Columbus Sub-districts make up a portion of The Union Pacific’s historic Overland Route.  All three of these Union Pacific Sub-districts are heavily utilized lines.

Obviously, like highways, both railroads have to intersect somewhere in Fremont.

That intersection (in railroad terms “Diamond”) is just south of Military Road near Morrell.

 

The UPRR/BNSF Diamond at Fremont - looking north on the BNSF line

photo credit: 470Photography  - from UP 844's 50th Anniversary Run November 2010

Here you will find the root of the problem.

This railroad “Diamond” is owned and maintained by The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), therefore, UPRR has control over all movements over this diamond. 

An example of how things play out many times daily.

For our example we will use a southbound BNSF tank train.  BNSF’s Sioux City Sub-district is single track with sidings at regular intervals to allow trains operating opposite directions to pass.  Sidings exist on the northern side of Fremont (Papa Siding), and south of Fremont (Elk Siding). 

Our example southbound train is sitting in the Papa Siding.  In order for this train to proceed southward through Fremont, it must get approval from the UPRR dispatcher in Omaha to proceed south and across the diamond.  BNSF Train’s Conductor radios the UPRR dispatcher that they are ready to continue and advise the time it will take to travel from the Papa Siding south to the Diamond, usually 8 to 10 minutes.  UPRR’s Dispatcher can do one of two things.  One is to give them permission to proceed (rarely done), the other is to give the BNSF Train a time when they can arrive at the “Diamond” when it is expected to be clear for their train to cross.  For this example, we will say the latter response was received from the UPRR Dispatcher #20 in Omaha, and the BNSF Train was told to be to the “Diamond” in 20 Minutes.

BNSF Conductor then communicates with their dispatcher at BNSF’s Fort Worth Dispatch Center in order to get a track warrant, a document that authorizes the train to proceed into the next block.  Track Warrant is issued, and the train begins to proceed southward towards the diamond so they arrive at the given time so as not to cause a blockage of the crossings.

As the BNSF Train approaches the Military Avenue crossing, just shy of the UPRR Diamond, the block signal indicates Red instead of Green, meaning the UPRR Diamond is blocked, or the interlock is fouled, causing a red signal..

BNSF Train must then stop.  This action blocks crossings at 16th Street, 23rd Street, and Somers Ave.

More often than not, the train is stopped for a lengthy period of time, and more often than not, the BNSF Dispatcher in Fort Worth, must communicate with his counterpart at UPRR in Omaha, that their train is stopped and blocking crossings.  Then the BNSF Dispatcher gets excuses or other gibberish from his UPRR counterpart, and eventually the “Diamond” magically clears and the BNSF train can proceed.

Thus the root of the problem, the UPRR Dispatchers are not being good stewards of the “Diamond”.

It is time to call the not so good stewards of the “Diamond” to the carpet!

During this viaduct dialogue the leadership of Fremont has not ever brought both railroads together to discuss how to better coordinate train movements to minimize or even eliminate blockages of BNSF Railway crossings either north or south of the UPRR Diamond.

It is a very simple solution, one that could save Fremont a very ugly $10 plus Million Dollar viaduct on the western side of the city.  This viaduct would only spare only one crossing from ever being blocked, that being West 23rd Street.

But, let’s face it, Fremont’s corrupt leadership would rather waste taxpayers monies and cause further grief for those who live in the northwestern portion of the community, instead of trying an obvious, low, if any cost, solution, first. 

After all, the UPRR cannot remove the trains, pull up the tracks, or close their yard office in Fremont if they are called down to the carpet to discuss the better coordination of train movements through town, and get their hands slapped in the process. 

This is one case where competitors must work together for a common good.

There is still time to scrap this project, the first step is realizing that Fremont, Nebraska deserves better leadership that can see this solution and try it before wasting over $10 million dollars on yet another ugly viadock.

May is our opportunity. 

Will the voters who reaffirmed the immigration ordinance, step up and clean out City Hall, to put an end to the waste of taxpayers money?

“Fremont’s $10 Million Dollar Mistake” is copyrighted © 2014 by Mark’s What the Bleep! & 470Media

Now for the required financial disclosure.  This article’s author holds positions, as noted, in both UPRR (direct investment in shares), and BNSF Railway (indirect investment through holding shares of Berkshire Hathaway, whom purchased the BNSF Railway in a cash/share transaction). 

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