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Overview of U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) proposed spent nuclear fuel and High Level Waste (HLW) transportation systems:  DOE has developed a private sector approach for moving spent nuclear fuel to a national geological repository (Yucca Mountain) in southern Nevada.  DOE is pursuing an acquisition process that relies on private industry (contractors) to help the department provide services and equipment required to move waste to Yucca Mountain, Nevada.  Under a draft Request for Proposals (RFP), published on September 1998 by DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (i.e., OCRWM or RW), the department intends to purchase services and equipment from Regional Servicing Contractors (RSCs) who will perform waste acceptance and transportation operations to Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

OCRWM will maintain primary responsibility to the States, Tribes and Affected Units of Government (AUG) for assuring appropriate interaction and consideration of their input on transportation of spent nuclear fuel and will retain final approval of all transportation routes.  The private sector contractors will accept spent nuclear fuel from its owners and generators (i.e., public and private nuclear power plants) and supply transportation casks and equipment for moving spent fuel to Yucca Mountain.

Transportation Resources Information

Lander County Rail Impact Assessment, November- 2006

There are two Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) lines traversing northern Lander

County. The westbound track, referred to as Track No. 1, is generally parallel to Interstate 80 (I-80) and goes through Battle Mountain. Track No. 2 is located north of Track No. 1 and carries eastbound trains. This study assesses<

utilization of the rail corridor, the condition of points where railroad tracks cross roadways, and safety issues. It also maps zoning and physical characteristics of the corridor.

both rail lines have a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) classification of

Class 4, which allows for heavy haul trains with speeds over 50 miles per hour

(mph). Typical speeds on the westbound track are 49 mph for freight and 59

mph for passenger trains, both are slowed to 45 mph though Battle Mountain.

Speeds on the eastbound track are 70 mph for freight and 79 mph for passenger trains. There are approximately 15 eastbound and westbound freight trains per day. There is also a limited amount of local service, typically five trains per day, and daily AMTRAK service. The tracks have closely spaced timber ties and appear to be in good condition. Under normal operating conditions all eastbound trains use Track No. 2 and all westbound trains use Track No. 1. However, due to local traffic serving industrial uses in the area, trains could occasionally travel in either direction on either track.

Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into sections as follows:

Pages 1– 11 (Adobe PDF File 582 kb)

Pages 12-23 (Adobe PDF file 544 kb)

Pages 24-36 (Adobe PDF File 409 kb)

Pages 37-49 (Adobe PDF File 2,412 kb)

Pages 50-63 (Adobe PDF File 3,501 kb)

U.S. Department of Energy

If Not Yucca Mountain Then What?

One of the biggest obstacles facing the nuclear industry is what to do with spent nuclear fuel. Because it is highly radioactive and will remain so for many thousands of years, spent nuclear fuel is inherently dangerous to human health and to future generations. Because it contains materials used in making nuclear weapons, spent fuel also poses proliferation risks. Full story - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

Video showing Safe Passage: An Overview of Plans for the Railroad to Yucca Mountain (broadband 8MB)   (56k modem 1MB) (Requires Real player to view)

Other online videos from DOE

Counties affected by high-level nuclear waste transportation