In late November, Union Pacific Railroad and Stillwater Central Railroad Co. (SLWC) filed an exemption notice with Surface Transportation Board to jointly relocate UP's lines near the Fort Sill Military Reservation in Fort Sill, Okla.
The railroads plan to relocate wye tracks accessing the military reservation to accommodate heavier rail cars.
Under an agreement, UP would abandon and remove certain mainlines (totaling about one mile), and relocate its operations over the 232-mile short line's track; SLWC would grant UP trackage rights to its 3.3-mile line between Fort Sill and Lawton, Okla.
The relocated line and trackage rights wouldn't expand either roads' service into new territory, but would enable UP to continue serving the military reservation after the project's completed, according to the STB filing.
SLWC is owned and operated by The Watco Cos., which manages seven short lines operating in 10 states.