Content area
Full Text
Work will soon be underway in Kansas City to eliminate crossing delays at the third busiest railroad intersection in the nation. The Kansas City Terminal Intermodal Enhancement Project involves the construction of a two-track flyover to elevate the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) mainline tracks over both the Union Pacific (UP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) tracks. By adding capacity and eliminating intersections, the flyover will end delays for the nearly 150 trains that move through Kansas City each day, and will support the development of other modal freight projects in the region.
The mainline tracks of the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT) and the BNSF run east-west through Kansas City, crossing the north-south UP and KCS mainline tracks on both sides of the Blue River. Given the need to safely move trains through this intersection each day, delays are inevitable. Currently, delays average 30 minutes but have exceeded two hours for some trains. These delays not only hinder the efficient operation...