"Workin' on the railroad: Today's builders hurdle barriers unknown in transcontinental era"

"Workin' on the railroad: Today's builders hurdle barriers unknown in transcontinental era" by Nicole Warburton, © Deseret Morning News, January 21, 2007. (News Article)

"... the Utah Transit Authority has begun work on a commuter-rail line. But even with modern equipment such as bulldozers, cranes and special rail-laying machines, the work is slow, and UTA has yet to lay even one mile of rail in one day during construction of the FrontRunner commuter-rail line. The first phase is 44 miles long, stretching from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View in Weber County. UTA began construction in July 2005. Work is expected to be done in June 2008 – three years after construction started. ... Before beginning construction, UTA was required by federal law to complete a two-year study of the environmental effects of building commuter rail and also had to outline how it would 'mitigate,' or help to lessen any impacts. After that, UTA worked six months to obtain approval from 43 cities and jurisdictions to build commuter rail. Now, it is in the middle of a two-year process of diverting utilities that run under the commuter-rail line. ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

Union Pacific Railroad was not of "first-class construction"

From: "Josh Dulberg" joshdul24@yahoo.com

I have a few questions regarding the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad.

I recall reading – in a letter from the Commissioner of the Railway Commission to President Lincoln [sic], that after inspection, the railway was not of "first-class construction." I also believe that he said that it would cost another 11,000,000 dollars to make the railway of "first-class" construction. Did the government give the $11 million he estimated, or did they give something else? Or, was the railroad left how it was, or was more construction done on it?

—Josh Dulberg