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History
The Palestine Subdivision, which predominantly parallels the Hardy Toll Road, was constructed by three individual railroads during the 1870’s. The southern most segment of the Palestine Subdivision, between Belt Junction (located just north of Loop 610 between IH45 and US59) to a location approximately 2 miles north of Belt Junction at railroad milepost 226.76, was constructed by the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company.
From this location to Palestine, Texas the line was constructed by the
Houston and Great Northern Railroad, and the segment between Palestine and
Longview was constructed by the International Railroad. In Longview, the Palestine Subdivision connects to UP’s
Little Rock Subdivision providing a rail route to Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ownership
The Palestine Subdivision is currently owned and operated by Union Pacific
Railroad. The BNSF has the right to operate trains on the Palestine Subdivision
between railroad milepost 226.67 and Longview.
Length
The Palestine Subdivision is approximately 229 miles long, with over 48 miles contained within the study area.
Rail Traffic
Predominantly a single track railroad with limited sidings, about 14 miles between Belt Junction and Spring, Texas has a second mainline that was constructed in the late 1990’s. Between Belt Junction and Spring Junction, where the UP Navasota Subdivision connects to the Palestine Subdivision, the railroad is utilized in a bi-directional manner, with trains operating in both a northbound and southbound manner, averaging around 21 trains daily in this segment of track. From Spring Junction to Palestine, the predominant flow of traffic is northbound toward Palestine with a daily average of 8 – 10 trains.
Characteristics
UP has two rail facilities, Lloyd Yard and the Westfield Auto Facility near Spring, Texas. Westfield is an auto facility for Gulf States Toyota, and Lloyd Yard is a “Storage in Transit” (SIT) Yard, or simplistically a yard that typically stores covered hoppers and tank cars normally filled with bulk materials such as PVC powder, plastic pellets, or another commodity that is typically made in huge quantities so that manufacturing the product may be cost effective.
Vehicular traffic at times is delayed along the Palestine Subdivision, particularly in the vicinity of Spring Junction, where the Navasota Subdivision connects to the Palestine Subdivision. The following table displays identified potential improvements to the Palestine Subdivision, which may lessen hazards associated with the roadway/rail interface as well as improve railroad operational efficiency:
Identified Improvements
|
Class |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Public
Benefit |
|
Class 1 Improvements (Near-term Improvements) |
$108,000,000 |
|
|
Class 3 Improvements (Separations/Closures) |
$17,200,00 |
|
|
Total Identified Improvements |
$125,200,000 |
$3,400,000 |
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