Millions to be Spent Rehabilitating Railroad Line Through San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Texas Transportation Commissioner Tryon Lewis of Midland joined State Representative Drew Darby and dignitaries from several West Texas Counties in San Angelo Monday to mark a major rehabilitation project for the South Orient Railroad.  

County Judge Steve Floyd joined other county officials from Irion, Reagan, Crane and Upton counties along with officials from the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Pacifico Railroad to symbolically hammer gold spikes into a railroad tie at the San Angelo Railway Museum.  

The event celebrates the $9.5 million to fund rehabilitation of 72 miles of track in Irion, Reagan, Crane and Upton counties.  According to TXDOT, the work includes 54 miles of track in Irion and Reagan counties at a cost of $5.4 million and 38 miles of track in Crane and Upton counties at a cost of $4.1 million.  

Commissioner Lewis says the $9.5 million in funding comes from  National Multimodal Freight Network Program funds.  Lewis says, “The improvements we’re making to the rail line and the reconstruction of the rail bridge assures we can continue to support the industries in Texas that rely on deliveries provided by the South Orient Railroad.”  

Improvements to the line also include a $9.2 million in-kind match by Texas Pacifico to reconstruct the Presidio-Ojinaga international rail bridge that has been closed since a fire destroyed the bridge in 2008.  

In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted TXDOT $7 million to rehabilitate 72 miles of track in Presidio County.  

The South Orient Railroad is owned by TXDOT and is approximately 391 miles long and runs from five miles south of Coleman through San Angelo to the Mexican border.  It is operated by  Texas Pacifico Transportation, Ltd.