UP's plan may help residents who live near line

~ After dropping a proposed track swap, the railroad will double seven miles of track between Rockview and Dexter.

Union Pacific's new plan to improve its efficiency in Southeast Missouri will likely help some Scott County residents, the county's presiding commissioner said.

On Sept. 1, the railroad announced it would abandon its proposal to acquire a Burlington-Northern Santa Fe rail line between Rockview and Sikeston, instead double-tracking seven miles of its line between Rockview and Dexter.

UP's withdrawal brought relief to leaders in Sikeston and Scott County who had fought against the proposal since it became public knowledge in March 2005.

"To me, the original plan of double-tracking that present track, it was always better for the general public," said Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel.

He said he thinks the new plan will benefit Scott County residents who live near the Rockview-Dexter line by easing congestion and reducing the number of trains stopped along the line.

UP spokesman James Barnes said the railroad has 33.3 miles of single track between Rockview and Dexter. Barnes said UP plans to install double track on seven miles of that section between the tiny communities of Messler and Ardeola near Bell City -- places that don't appear on modern maps.

Barnes said currently the railroad operates 40 to 44 trains per day on that track. The number of trains going through the area won't increase in the short term, but in the long run may go up by one or two trains per year, Barnes said.

UP is running at full capacity on the line, he said.

The line travels mostly through undeveloped countryside and small towns in Stoddard County, but some of it goes through the western part of Scott County.

UP dropped its attempt to acquire the Rockview-to-Sikeston line citing the slow process of getting the action approved by the Surface Transportation Board, the federal body that regulates rail traffic. UP's proposal fell under STB review because it would have increased traffic on the line by at least 10 trains per day.

When the railroad dropped its plan, the environmental review process at the STB hadn't yet started. That process likely would have lasted several months. The company filed its proposal with the STB in March 2005.

Governments along the affected track immediately condemned that proposal, saying the increase in trains would jeopardize the safety and the livelihood of communities along the track. MoDOT had recommended millions of dollars worth of safety mitigation measures if the swap was approved, including an overpass on U.S. 60 near Morehouse.

Priggel said the new plan is not only good for safety but will also save taxpayer money that would have partially paid for those safety improvements.

"I never did understand why the railroad thought that the general public should have to pay for the track swap, whether it be by more accidents or injuries or to pay for safety upgrades," he said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182