DM&E officials address concerns of residents

Township Road 97 won't be closed. Staging yard won't be as noisy as Shag Road residents fear, DM&E

officials say

By CHRIS VETTER

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern trains will be stopping in the Shag Road area, even if the proposed staging yard is moved closer to Mankato, says DM&E president Kevin Schieffer.

Schieffer spoke at a meeting with Brown County commissioners on Tuesday about the proposed upgrade to the DM&E rail line. About 80 area residents packed the Law Enforcement Center training room to listen to plans for the rail line expansion and staging yard.

The federal Surface Transportation Board has recommended the staging yard be located along Shag Road, southeast of New Ulm, rather than near Mankato.

"We are clearly stuck between New Ulm and Mankato," Schieffer said. "If we could go farther east, we would."

Even if the STB reverses its decision and moves the staging yard back to Mankato, trains will stop in Shag Road on 'sidings,' or side tracks, which allow another train to pass through in the opposite direction.

"I don't understand the opposition here," Schieffer said in his closing remarks. "There won't be much difference here with or without the staging yard. From an impact standpoint, I don't think you'll see much difference."

DM&E plans to replace its entire 600-mile track that stretches from Winona to Wall, S.D. Another 275 miles of new track would extend into Wyoming, allowing the railroad to move coal from the Powder River Basin to Eastern power plants. The entire project carries a $1.4 billion price tag.

The railroad tracks are old and must be replaced for DM&E to continue operating, Schieffer said.

"It is literally wearing out faster than we can put money into it," he said. "For us, the reason we are in this is to save this railroad."

No roads along Shag Road will be closed if the project moves forward, according to Schieffer. Shag Road residents were concerned that closing one road could leave the area with only one open road, and that route is often under water in the spring.

"I think there is a perception out there, and there is reality, and the two are often not on the same page," Schieffer said.

Ray Gigear, DM&E project engineer, said there was never any intention to close Township Road 97, which connects with Highway 68 to Mankato.

"When you look at a map in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), it blocks out the crossing on 97," Gigear said. "People jumped to the conclusion that the road would be closed."

Brown County Commissioner James Berg said he was pleased to learn that Township Road 97 will remain open. Many of the questions that were presented to Schieffer focused on how the closure of that road would affect the neighborhood.

Ron Janni, a Shag Road resident and a leader in organizing the neighborhood opposition, also was pleased to hear that the township road will not close.

"I think that was the highlight," Janni said. The main thing is to have two exits out of there."

Schieffer also detailed how the railroad would reimburse homeowners for property and added that the company would pay for any new roads that must be installed because of the project.

"Where we have a physical footprint; yes, there will be compensation," Schieffer said.

DM&E's compensation packages offer more money that the state does when it purchases houses to make room for roads, he added.

If a property is not physically affected by the rail line, there is still a possibility the company would offer some form of compensation, Schieffer said. Property values often take a dip when a project begins, but they often come back to previous levels, Schieffer added.

"It is impossible to develop a project like this without having some negative impacts," Schieffer acknowledged.

Noise is a major concern among Shag Road residents. Initially, people were concerned that the staging yard would involve breaking apart train cars and forming new trains, thus creating a lot of noise.

However, Schieffer contends that only 5 to 10 percent of all trains going through Shag Road will be split. Most trains would simply come to a complete stop, allowing a new train crew to board. Federal laws limit the length of time a train employee can drive per day.

According to the DEIS, noise level within one mile of the track would be 60 decibels. People 2 1/2 miles from the track will hear about 50 decibels. The DEIS is available in the New Ulm Public Library.

Several Shag Road residents believe the noise will be higher than the published figures because sound reverberates in the river basin.

A staging yard must be about two miles in length and about 400 feet in width. Specific physical topography limits ruled out other sites, Schieffer said.

"This is the closest site we can identify that will work," he said.

Schieffer said it is difficult to say how long a train would be stopped at the staging yard, but he guesses it would be between 20 minutes and an hour, but some could be as short as five minutes.

Six to eight sidings would be built along the Shag Road track.

Commissioner Charles Guggisberg questioned why so many sidings are needed.

That tells me (the trains) are going to be there a long time, if you need six to eight sidings," Guggisberg said.

"You need them when things go wrong," Schieffer responded. Trains can break down and might need emergency repair or fueling, he explained.

Currently, trains head through New Ulm at a top speed of 10 mph. If the line is redone, trains would likely travel at 40-49 mph in rural areas and 20-30 mph in town. Schieffer said that a train will still be going about 25 mph when it reaches the staging yard, meaning roads will not be closed for an extended period of time.

While many people are concerned about the safety of faster moving trains, Schieffer contends the route will be vastly safer than it is now.

"The chances of derailment are higher today than when this project is finished," he said.

Natural wildlife and the environment will not be adversely affected by the upgrades, Schieffer contends.

"I don't think this will affect any (animals)," he said. "The DEIS didn't identify any."

The staging yard is purposely planned to be farther back from the Minnesota River than the existing track line in response to flooding concerns, Schieffer said.

Several people in the crowd challenged Schieffer about the economic impact and jobs created from the upgrades. The DEIS states that up to 300 jobs could be created, but Schieffer doubts that the train line will ever reach capacity, and consequently, it will not need that many employees.

There are currently about four to seven trains a day crossing through New Ulm. The DEIS states that the number could reach 34-38 trains daily. Schieffer again doubts that the line will ever come close to that capacity. He cited an independent Washington study that predicts the train line would only reach 75 percent of that number of trips.

Gigear said it is unclear when the STB will approve or deny the project, but he does not expect the ruling until August at the earliest. The ruling also might not be issued for a full year, he added.

Audience reaction was mixed.

"We will kill our highways if we don't have the train," said Brown County Commissioner Richard Seeboth, who would prefer the staging yard to be moved to the Mankato site.

Tom MacAulay, New Ulm assistant city manager, was pleased with the two-hour meeting.

"I thought (Schieffer) was upfront and answered all the questions," MacAulay said.

Not everyone agreed.

"It just seems to be they are going to do what they are going to do, whether we're here or not," said one Shag Road resident.

"It's an insane proposal," agreed Carol Brennan, who lives near the tracks on Shag Road. "We built out there for the serenity. And that's going to be destroyed. They are going to take that away from us."

While most people at the meeting opposed the rail upgrades, Schieffer said there is strong support among agricultural and industrial residents. If upgraded, the rail line will move arm products to the West Coast, opening new markets there, Schieffer said.

"We believe this project has overwhelming public interest and public benefit," he said.

The period for public comment expires March 6.

People who want to comment on the proposed rail expansion can send letters to: Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, STB Finance Docket No. 33407, Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street NW, Washington D.C., 20423.