County, Union Pacific reach accords on rail relocation

Cameron County has reached two key agreements with Union Pacific Railroad that will pave the way for moving more tracks out of downtown Brownsville and relocating switching operations in Harlingen to Olmito.

Commissioner’s Court on Tuesday approved memorandums of understanding with Union Pacific for the $35 million West Rail Relocation Project in Brownsville and the $17 million North Rail Relocation Project in Harlingen.

The MOUs mean Cameron County and its partners can move forward on awarding construction contracts for the two projects. Because both are receiving federal stimulus funding, construction must start on the stimulus-funded portion by the end of March, Deputy County Administrator David Garcia said.

The North Rail project will move switching operations from their current location along Commerce Street in Harlingen to the Olmito switchyard. It is the first phase of an overall rail relocation plan for northern Cameron County and will eliminate switchyard delays at Harlingen’s busiest intersections that can run as long as an hour or more, County Judge Carlos Cascos said.

In Brownsville, switching operations that formerly took place behind Amigoland Mall and tied up traffic on Palm Boulevard already have moved to Olmito. What remains is to move the rail lines on which trains cross back and forth into Mexico on the B&M Bridge to a point west of Brownsville and Matamoros.

A new railroad bridge is to be built on a site between Veterans Memorial High School and San Pedro. Then, workers will lay new tracks from the Olmito switchyard to the new bridge, the train tracks will be removed from the B&M Bridge and it will become an automobile and truck bridge only.

The project will be the first international rail bridge project on the U.S.-Mexico border in more than 100 years, Cascos said. The total cost is estimated at $70 million — $35 million each on the U.S. and Mexican sides. In Matamoros the tracks that have to be relocated run through the city’s historic downtown and pass over its main drinking water reservoir. The project has been in the works for more than a decade.

In Harlingen, Cascos characterized the North Rail project as a good first step toward the county’s goal of eventually moving all rail traffic out of downtown Harlingen to a new rail yard north of the city. The county and its partners, including the city of Harlingen, will continue to look for funding sources to complete the project. he said.