Union Pacific puts brakes on passenger rail line along I-35

A Union Pacific freight train runs near Interstate 35 on a line the Lone Star Rail District had hoped to use for passenger trains. UP pulled out of an agreement to study that possibility, a blow to the district’s plans to build a passenger rail line known as LSTAR between San Antonio and Georgetown, north of Austin. less A Union Pacific freight train runs near Interstate 35 on a line the Lone Star Rail District had hoped to use for passenger trains. UP pulled out of an agreement to study that possibility, a blow to the ... more Photo: John Davenport /San Antonio Express-News Photo: John Davenport /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Union Pacific puts brakes on passenger rail line along I-35 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The Lone Star Rail District’s plan to run passenger trains on one of Union Pacific’s freight lines has been derailed, at least for now.

UP terminated its agreement with the district to study the possibility of running passenger trains on a freight line that parallels Interstate 35. The idea was central to the district’s plans to build a passenger rail line, known as LSTAR, between San Antonio and Georgetown.

“That is really not a good thing,” said District 9 City Councilman Joe Krier, a longtime proponent of the passenger line. “You have to have an agreement with UP at some point to have access to their right-of-way.”

The agreement, signed in 2010, allowed UP and the district to study the line and the possibility of building a new freight corridor east of I-35, a $1.6 billion endeavor.

For more details about what derailed the agreement, go to ExpressNews.com

kblunt@express-news.net