West Rail Relocation Project begins in Brownsville, Texas

At the sound of Union Pacific Engine No. 5936 firing up, officials from both sides of the border broke ground December 17 on the West Rail Relocation Project at the Olmito Switchyard in Brownsville, Tex., The Brownsville Herald reports. Ten years in the planning, the West Rail project will relocate the international railroad bridge from the downtown areas of Brownsville and Matamoros to less populated areas of both cities. The new bridge will enter the U.S. about a half-mile west of the River Bend Resort area. The project is a collaboration with Cameron County, the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, the city of Brownsville and Union Pacific. Officials said it has been at least 100 years since a new railroad bridge was built between the United States and Mexico. The $35-million bi-national project is expected to take 15 months to complete, with the new bridge in operation by the summer of 2012. Juan José Erazo García Cano, secretary of communications and transportation for Mexico, said the project has been supported by Mexican President Felipe Calderón. "This project is historic and symbolic for President Calderón," he said. The new railroad bridge is expected to make it easier for trains to cross at all hours, and should eliminate the three- to six-hour delays during peak travel times in the morning and evening when trains have not been allowed to cross, officials said. Joe Adams, vice president for Union Pacific Railroad, noted that there are many proposals such as this but few gain approval. He said rail traffic between Mexico and the United States is bringing in revenues of about $1.5 billion year. Mario Jorge, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation Pharr District, said the West Rail Relocation Project was the result of officials listening to residents who wanted the train traffic moved out of the city. Officials first had proposed building an overpass over the railway, but Brownsville residents were opposed to the idea, he said. "We listened to the community," Jorge said. "They did not want that overpass. They wanted the railroad out. This project provides more benefits than a single overpass."