As you may know by now, Rio Grande Pacific Railroad, thru its subsidiary Colorado Midland & Pacific (CMP), has negotiated a lease with Union Pacific, which owns the Tennessee Rail Line from approximately Gypsum (on 1-70) all the way down to Parkdale. CMP has applied for a Notice of Exemption with the Surface Transportation Board to operate a commute/tourist/local freight train along this line, which parallels the Arkansas River.
Our chapter Board of Directors voted to oppose this reopening of the old abandoned 163 mile section, which runs along both the Eagle (which flows into the Colorado) and Arkansas Rivers.
CTU, along with Eagle Valley and the Southern Co. Greenback (Canyon City/Pueblo) Chapters also oppose – and we have filed opposition letters to the Surface Transportation Board. We have included our letter, CTU’s, as well as a link to to the Coalition Against the Tennessee Pass Rail Line’s letter below.
There is a lot of information in these letters, which outlines the train’s proposal, and why we all oppose it. Please take a moment to read them to bring you up to speed about this important issue. There are a multitude of other organizations, many of which you may be a member of, which are also in opposition to anything that would pollute and harm these rivers in any way.
Our mission: To conserve, protect, and restore our coldwater fisheries and their watersheds!
There is still time to make your voice heard. The Coalition Against Tennessee Pass Rail Line is still active, so you can sign it.
Go to their website (notrainstennesseepass.com) by clicking here.