Savage Tooele Railroad FAQ

Savage Tooele Railroad (STR) is a new short line railroad that has been granted approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to construct and operate approximately 11 miles of rail line in Tooele County, including the rehabilitation of existing track. The STR rail line will connect to Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to provide freight rail service optionality for tenants of the Lakeview Business Park in Grantsville, Utah, linking supply chains and providing an alternative to truck-only transportation with a more environmentally friendly option.

STR will provide common carrier freight service over the rail line to and from the 1,700-acre Lakeview Business Park (LBP) through an interchange with UP, enabling tenants of LBP to ship and receive materials and products by rail. There is currently no rail service at the business park, forcing shippers to use trucks for their transportation needs. STR will provide businesses with greater mode optionality for shipping, lower total emissions due to fewer truck movements, reduced overall truck traffic, improved road longevity, and greater business diversity within the business park itself. Having a rail-served property will make LBP more attractive for businesses, supporting additional jobs and economic prosperity in Tooele Valley, and reducing the need for area residents to commute to the Salt Lake Valley for work.

In explaining its decision to approve the project, the STB stated: “Construction and operation of the Line will give shippers a new freight rail option, which will support business diversification within the Park and more competitive transportation rates. With OEA’s final recommended mitigation, there will be no potential for significant environmental impacts; indeed, the Line will facilitate the diversion of traffic from truck to rail, thereby increasing overall energy efficiency and reducing emissions from trucks.”

STR is one of the only new railroads approved in the U.S. this year and one of the first railroads owned and operated by a Utah-headquartered company in the state’s history. STR has received support from numerous federal, state and local officials. Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox stated: “I want to congratulate Savage Tooele Railroad on the approval of their Tooele Valley rail project by the Surface Transportation Board. The historic nature of this project, including its positive economic and environmental impacts, will be a tremendous advantage for Utahns and our businesses for generations to come.” (April 2024 press release)

The STR rail line will connect UP’s Shafter Subdivision mainline at approximately milepost 897.94 near Burmester, UT, to the new Lakeview Business Park in Grantsville, UT. The rail line will reestablish the former Warner Branch connection to UP’s mainline. (See the project map.)

There are two proposed at-grade rail crossings to facilitate STR rail operations, with one crossing at State Highway 138 (SR 138) and another at Erda Way. (See the project map.) In consultation with UDOT and local governments, STR is proposing traditional rail crossings with warning lights and cross arms on both sides of the track. The STR will operate two trains per day over these rail crossings, five days per week, with trains crossing SR 138 and Erda Way between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (See rail crossing preliminary designs.) At full build out, traffic at rail crossings should only be blocked by passing trains for approximately 90 seconds under normal conditions.

STR will operate under the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) for railroads in the United States. Track speed will not exceed 25 mph (36.67 ft/second). STR intends to operate one train per day going to LBP and one train leaving the business park, five days a week.

Rail has a safety record that is more than 8 times better than trucking when comparing incidents per ton-mile, and Savage is one of the safest rail companies in North America. For example, the Savage  Bingham & Garfield short line railroad, based in Midvale UT, was recently honored to receive the Perfect Record Award and Merit Award by the Utah Safety Council on August 6, 2024.

We anticipate beginning construction of the rail line in Q4 of 2024, and having STR operational by Q3 of 2025.

Approval by the STB followed a robust Environmental Assessment conducted by its Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA), and is subject to certain environmental mitigations, which STR will incorporate in its design and operations. The STB decision states that “there has been a thorough environmental and historic review in this case” and concludes that “there will be no potential for significant environmental impacts; indeed, the Line will facilitate the diversion of traffic from truck to rail, thereby increasing overall energy efficiency and reducing emissions from trucks.” The STB decision notes the rail line would provide “greater mode optionality for business park tenants, lower total emissions due to fewer truck movements, reduced overall truck traffic, and improved road longevity due to less wear and tear from trucks.”

STR estimates that Lakeview Business Park (LBP) tenants shipping their products by rail instead of by truck will equate to the avoidance of nearly 5,000 commercial truck trips in STR’s first year of operation and nearly 30,000 avoided commercial truck trips by its seventh year of operation. As the average distance of these truck trips is 200 miles, enabling rail connectivity into LBP via the STR will equate to the avoidance of an average of 6 million vehicle miles traveled annually by commercial trucks over the first twenty years of the short line railroad’s operation.

Established in 1946, Savage is a family owned, Utah-based, global provider of supply chain infrastructure and solutions, with more than 4,000 Team Members across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. We strive to always Do the Right Thing, Find a Better Way and Make a Difference. Our Customers and Partners count on us to safely and sustainably move and manage what is essential to their business so they can Feed the World, Power Our Lives and Sustain the Planet.

Savage has been operating a multi-commodity transload terminal in Tooele since 2021, part of the Savage Transload Network, where products and materials are transferred between trucks and railcars. When the facility first opened, Tooele City Mayor Debbie Winn stated: “Savage’s new railport in Tooele provides terrific opportunities to connect area businesses with markets across the country and around the world. This infrastructure is important for driving economic development that will benefit families in our community and the region. Rail transportation is a more efficient and environmentally friendly option for moving products long distances, and having a direct rail connection in Tooele City will help alleviate highway congestion from trucks driving to or through Salt Lake City.”

With Savage Team Members living and working in the Tooele Valley, it’s important to us to be a good neighbor, and we partner with others in the community to make a positive difference. For example, in both 2022 and 2023, Savage contributed funding to the Tooele Education Foundation to help support the construction of the Ophir Canyon Outdoor Learning Lodge, to benefit Tooele Valley students and families:

The Savage Tooele Railroad (STR) Public Information page on the Savage website is our hub for providing information about the rail line, communicating with the public, and receiving input via our comment form.

Additionally, STR hosted a Public Open House on Monday, August 19, at the Deseret Peak Complex in Grantsville, UT, to provide information and solicit input regarding proposed rail crossings on State Highway 138 and Erda Way. The open house public notice was published on the Savage website and in the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin newspaper. Advance notice of the open house was also communicated to local city and county governments. Members of the public were provided with the opportunity to submit comments at the open house, or online, with special accommodations offered for any individuals who may need it.

To provide a comment or question, or to contact the project team, please fill out the contact form on the Savage Tooele Railroad (STR) Public Information web page. Comments and questions will be reviewed, and may be addressed in ongoing updates to the Savage Tooele Railroad (STR) FAQs rather than individually.