Union Pacific ponders rail move - Denver Business Journal:

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The area is slated for construction of a cargl hubfor air, train and highway transport. "Itg was important for us to establish a letter of intentrso we're not left out in the said Dick Hartman, special representativd to the president for Unio Pacific in Wyoming and Colorado "If all the piecesa fit, it's logical to move the trainzs east of Denver." The two companiex declined to release a copy of the letter, sayingb that it contains proprietary information. More than 30 trains, averagintg 130 cars long, creep across intersections and snarlk traffic in central Denve revery day.
The idea of gettingt trains out of the city and onto newl y built tracks on the Easterj Plains has been toyed with for more than 20 And the Colorado Department ofTransportation (CDOT) is conducting a $500,000 cost-benefir study of the issue. Schuck Corp. has eagerlh awaited the railroads' arrival as a linchpin for itsTransPortr concept. It's a 6,000-acrew highway, railroad and air cargpo hub at Front Range Airport southeast of Denver International Airport that the compan said would buildon Denver'sw location to create a majodr inland cargo hub. The letter from Michaek F.
Kelly, regional vice president of UnionjPacific states: "Union Pacific will want to establish facilities in the area of the Frontt Range Airport and specifically will developp with the Schuck Corporation the Integrated Multi- modal Transportation facilituy on the property." Union Pacific intends to construct the Utah Junctiomn Bypass that will divert about 20 to 25 trains that currentlgy go into the north yard toward the east and out to Fron Range. Utah Junction in central Denver is the railroade version of the Mousetraphighway junction.
It causes everyh train two to four hours of delay as they are forcef to back in and out to turn around and continus their trips eastor west, Bill Schuck, presidenty of Schuck Corp., said in a previousz interview. Shifting rail traffic to the plains also wouldf create a chance to build a truly regional networik of heavy commuter rail trainsa stretching from Fort Collinsto Pueblo, genera manager for RTD Cal Marsella said previously. Schuck already has five mile s of rail running through its property near Front Range The property sits adjacent to FrontRange Airport, a generalo aviation airport with runwaysz capable of handling a Boeing 737 -- and long enough to land cargok planes.
Prior to the construction of DIA, cargio carriers such as UPS intended to operate at Front Rang e sothey wouldn't have to compete for spac e and runway time with passenger In the end, DIA was able to accommodatw the cargo carriers and Front Range remainer a general aviation airport for corporate jets and other private But the idea of moving cargo out of DIA and to Fronyt Range remains. In 2001, DIA and Front Range commissione d a study to determine where cargo was best The results of the studgy by Rystrom Consulting identified Fron t Range Airport as the optimal locationn forcargo carriers.
"Should Front Range Airport becomean all-cargo facility, it woule reduce airline costs and assist in keepinbg Denver more competitive with other cities," the report stated. Front Rangse could complement DIA just as Alliance Airport doeswith Dallas-Ft.Worth Airport, the report stated. Sinc e its construction in 1997 as a nationaldistributiohn center, Alliance has attracted majorf names like Nestles and J.C. Penney. "It's possible for DIA and FRA [Frontt Range] to enjoy the same kind of ifnot better, becausde of their much closer proximity," the Rystromm report said. Alliance sits 25 miles from DFW, but Front Rangse only sits six milesfrom DIA.
"We feel that Denver is ready to produce a Rocky Mountain regional version ofRoss Perot'ds Alliance Intermodal Center in Ft. Worth," Schuck said in a statement. "Thart 15,000-acre air/rail/highway project, begun in 1988, now has more than 100 companieeoffering 20,000 jobs, providing more than $40 million annually in tax revenues." Hartman said Union Pacific is anticipatinf other elements of the projecy to come together this year and the railroade wanted to get its intent in CDOT's study should be completec in April or May, Hartman said and RTD will be asking voters in November to approve FasTracks, a 0.4 percenf tax increase to raise $4.
7 billion to build a network of rail and bus linew throughout the metro area. "Alk these things are starting to evolve," Hartman said. "It's importantf to establish the letterrof intent." "Yes, there are a lot of challenges before us, but the Union Pacific announcement is a giant step and we applau Union Pacific's vision and commitment," Schucok said.