July 11, 2022 - TRA Newswire -

When construction is completed, Fort Worth-based Rio Grande Pacific will operate and maintain the first major rail project in the U.S. for over 3 decades, the Uinta Basin Railway. The final regulatory obstacle to the 85-mile long rail line in Utah was removed when objections to the right-of-way were dismissed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Construction on the $1.5 billion project could begin as early as 2023 and would include the construction of several bridges and tunnels. The new line will provide a direct link to the Gulf Coast for transporting crude oil.

Rio Grande Pacific, founded in 1986, is a privately-held Texas-based railroad holding company that owns regional freight railroads, does signal construction and design, handles passenger rail operations, equipment remanufacturing, and dispatching services. In Texas, Rio Grande Pacific operates the Denton County "A" Train passenger service between Denton and Carrollton and the Wichita, Tillman and Jackson freight line between Wichita Falls and Altus, Oklahoma.  

The project is a public-private effort under the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition to benefit the Ute Indian Tribe. Drexel Hamilton Infrastructure Partners is raising the private sector capital and AECOM is handling the design work. Construction of the rail link will be a joint effort of WW Clyde, Obiyashi Corporation and Skanska. 

RGPC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Bertel stated, “We are pleased to award engineering and construction of the Uinta Basin Railway project to AECOM, Skanska-Clyde, and Obayashi. Numerous qualified and technically proficient engineering and construction firms, including most of the major firms in the U.S., pursued the Uinta Basin Railway project, and provided to us high-quality and creative responses. AECOM, Skanska-Clyde, and Obayashi provided the best fit to our project objectives of the firms we interviewed.” 

The 85-mile railroad would connect Myton and Leland Bench to Union Pacific's line at Price Canyon. The railway website says the Uinta Basin Railway will increase opportunities and competitiveness for agriculture and livestock producers, landowners, contractors, miners and oil

and gas producers. 

In the STB filing the tribe's business committee vice chair Edred Secakuku wrote "Royalties derived from these minerals enable the Tribal government to provide critical services to its membership of almost 3,000 members. The highs and lows of commodity markets, economic cycles and geopolitical turmoil all pose risks to this vital source of funding used for education, health, policing, public works, housing, food services, natural resources and sovereign defense. The Uinta Basin Railroad enhances and expands access to both national and international markets which reduces these risks.”