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History
Two independent railway companies constructed the Baytown Subdivision in the mid 1910’s and 1920’s. The Houston and North Shore Railway Company constructed the line segment from Baytown, while the segment from Bayport to Dayton was constructed by the Dayton-Goose Creek Railway Company.
Ownership
The Baytown Subdivision is currently owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad.
Geographic Limits
Beginning in Houston at North Shore Junction, which is just north of IH10 and west of LP 610 on the east side of Houston, this line segment terminates at Dayton Junction, the point of connection between the Baytown Subdivision and the UP Lafayette Subdivision near Dayton.
Approaching Houston from Baytown the Baytown Subdivision traverses along the northern shore of the Houston Ship Channel and the San Jacinto River. Approaching Baytown from Dayton, the line segment nearly parallels the SH 146 corridor.
Length
The Baytown Subdivision is approximately 49 miles in length, all of which is contained within the study area.
Rail Traffic
Rail traffic on the Baytown Subdivision is bidirectional, with an average daily train count of approximately 10 trains, most of which provide service to the local industries located on this line. The BNSF has authority to operate its trains on the Baytown Subdivision from Dayton to just west of Baytown and has a rail yard just south of Dayton and west of the Sjolander plastics storage facility. Typically, the BNSF traffic runs against the normal flow, but at times during the day in which they do not pose a conflict to normal operations.
Characteristics
This is predominantly a single track railroad with limited passing sidings; however, there are well over 20 industrial sidings or spur tracks allowing the railroads to serve the many petrochemical companies such as Exxon, Chevron, and Amoco.
Consequently, due to the large volume of train traffic serving the local industries, instances occur where non-industry serving train traffic is delayed during the performance of normal customer service work.
Improvements
Adding tracks that will allow the continued service of the customer base to continue without occupying the main track, staging tracks, or work leads on portions of the Baytown Subdivision, essentially creating the appearance of a second main track, may reduce the main track interference by providing bypass capability, and support the continued chemical traffic growth experienced along this segment.
The following table displays the estimated cost of improvements that may ultimately improve the fluidity of rail traffic on the Baytown Subdivision:
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Class |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Public Benefit |
|
Class 4 Improvements (Rail Capacity Additions) |
$137,000,000 |
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|
Total Identified Improvements |
$137,000,000 |
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