Wyoming Rail Line Gets Axed: 23 Miles of Track Retired
Published Date: 1/31/2025
Notice
Summary
Saratoga Railroad is officially ditching a 23.7-mile rail line in Carbon County, Wyoming, because no trains have run there for years. This change affects local communities near Walcott and Saratoga, but freight can still roll on other routes. The move kicks in soon, with no extra costs expected since the line’s been quiet for a while.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Rail Employee Protections Required
Any railroad employees adversely affected by the abandonment will be protected under the Oregon Short Line employee-protection conditions (360 I.C.C. 91 (1979)). A petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed to challenge whether these protections are adequate.
23.71-Mile Rail Line Abandoned
Saratoga Railroad will abandon an approximately 23.71-mile rail line between milepost 0.57 (near Walcott, WY) and milepost 24.28 (Saratoga, WY), traversing ZIP codes 82331 and 82335. The abandonment is set to become effective on March 2, 2025, unless a stay or an offer of financial assistance is filed.
Environmental Review and Comment Window
The railroad filed a combined environmental and historic report and the Board's Office of Environmental Analysis will issue a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) by February 7, 2025. Comments on environmental or historic preservation matters must be filed within 15 days after the Draft EA becomes available, and conditions may be imposed in a later decision.
Opportunity to Submit Offer of Financial Assistance
Interested parties may submit a formal expression of intent to file an offer of financial assistance (OFA) indicating purchase or subsidy; certain filings (including expressions of intent to file an OFA and trail use requests) must be made by February 10, 2025. If an OFA is filed, it can affect whether the abandonment proceeds.
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