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United States: Small Railroads Key to PG&E Project
(TendersInfo (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) North of Sacramento, Calif., near the town of Maxwell, the Pacific Gas & Electric utility is building a new natural gas generating station. Yet transportation officials say the heavyweight, high-clearance turbines, generators and other components needed to go rail to avoid messing up area road traffic and maybe the roads themselves.
California Northern Railroad said it is handling the loads most of the way, bringing them 75 miles to near the plant construction site between now and July. It will take another year after that o complete the Colusa generating station.
These loads require extra handling, specialized railcars and special clearance due to their significant weight and size, said California Northern, a RailAmerica unit.
The equipment is brought into the region by ship, mostly from Asia but with some components made in Europe. It lands at the Port of Sacramento, where the Sierra Northern Railway first takes it a short distance to West Sacramento. From there, Union Pacific Railroad takes it to the town of Davis, for the handoff to CNR.
Don Seil, general manager at California Northern, said this project business underscores the role small rail lines play in the economy, connecting ports or cross-country railroads with more remote areas. Short-line railroads have an inherent geographic advantage as more and more companies are building significant manufacturing facilities and utility plants in rural areas, he said.
This short line s main business revolves around hauling a mix of agricultural products in California. Hauling tomato paste, beer, wine, olives, rice and wheat account for more than 70 percent of its business, a company representative said, while the PG&E loads will generate well under 1 percent of 2009 revenue.
RailAmerica said the shipments it is hauling for the PG&E power plant weigh as much as 540,000 pounds too large to be moved by truck for more than a very short distance. In fact, just to get it from the short line to the final construction area requires building temporary roads and police escorts as they cross Interstate 5.
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