Fans of passenger rail travel have been waiting for months to find out when Amtrak will relocate from its existing station on Transfer Road in St. Paul to the recently revitalized Union Depot on Kellogg Boulevard. Through the efforts of Ramsey County, the St. Paul transit hub received a $243 million facelift, all of it from public funds.
Rail enthusiasts will probably have to wait a bit longer. Dated Feb. 10, the latest release from BNSF — one of the three major freight lines that uses the rail behind the depot — indicates that the frigid temperatures continue to play havoc with scheduling and maintenance.
Amtrak, which leases space along the freight track, is having its own problems with scheduling, many of them related to BNSF issues. Heavy freight travel related to the North Dakota oil boom is partly to blame.
Despite being used by Metro Transit buses and Jefferson Lines, the depot has sat largely underutilized for more than a year (though those Christos restaurant weddings are pretty flashy.) It has hosted some fun music and arts events.
Amtrak signed a lease with Ramsey County late last year and promised to set up shop in the depot in the first quarter of 2014. In early January, some Union Depot officials were forecasting a March launch for Amtrak. The Scoop is increasingly skeptical.
To: BNSF Carload Customers
February 10, 2014
Upper Midwest Rail Operations UpdateThe effects of consecutive severe weather disruptions continue to impact BNSF operations across the upper Midwest. The most recent period of extreme cold temperatures and heavy snowfall have slowed the return to normal operations, presenting elevated risk factors for personnel and interfering with road and yard operations.
Heaviest impacts are concentrated in the following states and areas: North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and the Chicago interchange gateway. Current conditions remain at sub-zero temperatures, with severe overnight wind chills.
Also, Chicago Interchange with Belt Railway of Chicago (used exclusively to reach many smaller connections in Chicago) will remain congested through the next week.
Actions that we have taken in response to these challenges include but are not limited to:
Coordinating and re-routing shipments with eastern carriers through alternate interchange gateways to avoid weather delayed operations in Chicago.
Modifying BNSF’s carload Transportation Service Plan (TSP) to redirect shipment flow to other terminal locations that have not been impacted by weather and reduce flow into North town yard in Minneapolis and other congested terminals.
As a result, customers tracing their freight may notice non-standard routings, locations and interchanges. Some of this traffic re-routing could lead to longer overall transit times by several days than normal conditions.
A new round of heavy snowfall is forecasted today, the operational impact and associated traffic delays are expected to extend into the coming weeks.