BCL
Engineer
They keep on talking about it. It's in the latest California Rail Plan.I bet that the State of California, if it really wanted it could get access for its trains on Tehachapi. They have enough leverage with UP and BNSF to make such things happen. But for now it is not clear that such access worth the number of chits they will have to cash in for it.Railroads are no longer required to allow Amtrak access to any line that had passenger service in 1970. That ability was lost with the expiration of the original 1970 act in 1996. They can refuse to allow access or charge whatever they deem necessary to make "improvements" to provide access, see UP's $800M demand to make the Sunset daily. That would not have been permissible while the original legislation was in effect. Now, UP can bar Amtrak from Tehachapi if it wants to, and it does. In general, that is a major reason why it is so difficult to resume service on a line once it has been lost.
BTW, BNSF has a trackage rights agreement with UP that is long-standing and dates from the late 1800s or early 1900s between SP and AT&SF. BNSF does not need "special permission" to operate over Tehachapi. The trackage rights were negotiated as part of the transfer of the line between Mojave and Needles from the SP to the Santa Fe. I understand now there is more BNSF traffic over Tehachapi than UP.
http://californiastaterailplan.dot.ca.gov/docs/Final_Copy_2013_CSRP.pdf
UPRR Mojave Subdivision, Kern Junction to Mojave (Tehachapi Trade Corridor) (1)
UPRR as owner and BNSF as tenant operate on this primary freight corridor through the Tehachapi Mountains. Seventy percent of the freight volume transported over this corridor originates in the Central Valley.
BNSF has been concerned about capacity constraints and their impact on future freight growth, because its trains that operate over this route tend to be more service-sensitive. BNSF routes intermodal trains from the Port of Oakland and northern California over the Tehachapi Mountains to connect with their TRANSCON mainline in Barstow. As such, this location has also been identified as a constraint to growth of rail services to the Port of Oakland. The route through the mountains includes steep grades, extreme track curvature, and a single track through the majority of the corridor. Train volumes on this line are high, and are projected to approximately double, which will exacerbate existing capacity issues.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2012 Kern County Infrastructure Report Card, the Tehachapi Trade Corridor has a rating of “At Capacity,” indicating no room to serve increases in traffic. Improvements on this route have been approved to receive support under California’s TCIF, and will include double-tracking, siding extensions, and signal system upgrades. Additional information on this project is provided in Chapter 9, Freight Investment Program.
Of course it's more than just the Tehachapi Loop. However, it looks like the state might chip in some funds because the freight traffic is limited due to this chokepoint.