SMART, North Coast Railroad Authority can’t agree on joint operating rules

Written by jrood

Freight trains may be ready to roll again on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, but a dispute between two public rail agencies threatens to sidetrack the cargo service, The Santa Rosa, Calif., Press Democrat reports. North Coast Railroad Authority, which oversees freight trains, and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, which owns the tracks south of Healdsburg, can't agree on joint operating rules.

"I don’t know when I’m
going to be able to do anything," said John Williams of NWP Co., the private
company picked to run rail cargo service in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. Williams
said NWP Co. could have freight trains running between Napa County and Windsor
by the end of the year if it gets the go-ahead.

So far, however, SMART and
NCRA are deadlocked on the railroad operating agreement, which will determine
how commuter and freight trains jointly use the tracks.

SMART plans to run commuter
trains in Sonoma and Marin counties starting in 2014.

"We put forward reasonable
terms. They have not accepted," said Chris Coursey, spokesman for SMART.

"The timing is in their
hands," said NCRA executive director Mitch Stogner. "We are on the one-yard
line."

While SMART owns the
tracks, NCRA has spent $68 million repairing them for cargo trains.

Freight service on the
Northwestern Pacific has been halted since 2001 when U.S. rail regulators ruled
the storm-damaged railroad was unsafe for train traffic.

NCRA began repairs in 2005
and chose NWP Co. in 2006 to provide the freight service. NCRA said cargo
trains would provide a low-cost alternative for shippers and take trucks off
Highway 101.

With repairs almost
complete, NCRA and NWP Co. are ready to ask the Federal Railroad Administration
to reopen the line, Williams said. But the federal agency ruled last month that
cargo service can’t resume without SMART’s approval. And SMART says the freight
trains shouldn’t run until there’s an operating agreement.

SMART and NCRA have been
negotiating for two years, but they’ve reached a stalemate over issues
including insurance, shared costs and operating schedules. There’s also
disagreement about how SMART will work on the tracks while freight trains are
running.

In a memo to the SMART
board, general manager Lillian Hames said the agency shouldn’t give its
approval for freight service until its concerns are addressed in a new
operating agreement. She also recommended that SMART not approve NWP Co. as the
freight operator if there’s no accord.

Meanwhile, NCRA and
Williams are asking the Federal Railroad Administration to reverse its decision
giving SMART veto power over cargo trains. They said shippers would be hurt if
freight service is delayed.

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