HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 10/20/2015 - Memorandum From Dan Weinheimer Re: Next Steps - RailroadsCity Manager’s Office
PO Box 580
300 LaPorte Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
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MEMORANDUM
Date: October 14, 2015
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Dan Weinheimer, Policy and Project Manager
Through: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
Wendy Williams, Assistant City Manager
Re: Next Steps - Railroads
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet convened a meeting of Northern Colorado community leaders and
railroad company representatives on October 12 in Fort Collins. The purpose of this meeting
was to discuss community challenges related to their proximity to railroad operations.
Participating communities were Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Windsor and the railroads
participating were Union Pacific Railroad Company, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Great
Western Railway.
Among the issues discussed were train horn noise, blocked intersections and the application of
collaborative, technology-driven solutions to rail proximity issues.
Next steps from the meeting include:
1. Senator Bennet will continue to advocate for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
to open the train horn noise rule. This has been an action sought by Northern Colorado
leaders for several years and could provide relief to residential neighborhoods and to
businesses.
2. Senator Bennet is trying to get the FRA Administrator, Sarah Feinberg, to come to
Northern Colorado for a meeting. This would give community leaders a chance to share
some of their concerns directly with FRA leadership. While this meeting is in the works,
City staff will work closely with the Senator’s office to secure continued attention from
FRA.
3. City leaders sought cooperation from railroad companies on addressing federal
regulatory barriers to community issues. Achieving this goal may require continued,
solution-oriented dialogue between the participants.
4. Applying technology to look for solutions. Fort Collins will host a hackathon in February
attempting to develop a warning application that residents could use to avoid traffic
delays. Other technology-driven solutions may be available regionally or nationally that
could address community traffic and safety concerns. Fort Collins leaders expressed
willingness to pilot innovative solutions.
5. A hackathon event is planned for Q1 2016. The focus of the hackathon is the
development of a mobile-friendly app/website that provides the community with real-time
information regarding the location, wait-times, and traffic related to train traffic within Fort
Collins. Solutions could take a wide variety of forms, but staff is hopeful that one or more
will warrant further development and implementation, providing the community with an
innovative solution to a community challenge.
6. Union Pacific (UP) and Great Western Railway (GWR) currently have a $14 million joint
project infrastructure underway to restore rail connection through Greeley. Both
companies indicate that most freight currently interchanged at Fort Collins in the
Riverside Corridor probably would be shifted to the new connection upon completion.
GWR representatives indicated the project will be complete Q1 2016 and will result in
55% of train switching traffic being moved out of Fort Collins.
1
Sarah Kane
From: Jeff Mihelich
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 5:44 PM
To: City Leaders
Cc: Dan Weinheimer; Dan Coldiron; Rick Richter
Subject: Senator Bennet Follow-Up
Attachments: Memo rail Readbefore 101415.doc
Good Evening Mayor and Members of City Council:
Attached is an updated memorandum that outlines the results of our meeting with Senator Bennet.
The summary includes more details about the plan to develop a citizen co-created train app and the plans for a new
train switching yard.
Please let us know if you need more information.
Thanks!
JM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JEFF MIHELICH, ICMA-CM
Deputy City Manager
City of Fort Collins
970-221-6684 office