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What does it take to build a railroad?
- Aerial and ground surveys
- Design
- Earthwork and water
- Bridges and culverts
- Ballast
- Track laying
- Signaling system
- Passing tracks
- Crossings
- Rail line certifications
Facts about transportation of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel
- What are spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste?
- What is the safety record for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste?
- How many shipments will there be to the repository?
- How are transportation safety and security standards established?
- What precautions does the government take in the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste?
- What types of packages will be used to ship spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to a repository?
- Have actual casks been tested under real-life conditions?
- Could a transportation package protect its contents and prevent the release of radiation in case of fire?
- How will transportation routes to a repository be chosen?
- How will spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste be transported within Nevada to the repository?
- How will DOE interact with interested parties as transportation decisions are made?
- What are the specific plans for interactions with states and tribes?
- Will communities know when to expect shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste?
- How will public safety officials be prepared for an emergency involving a shipment of spent nuclear or high-level radioactive waste?
- Who will help state, local and tribal safety officials respond to an accident involving spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste?
- Who would pay for damages in the event of an accident resulting from the transportation of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste?
- Brochure: Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation [pdf]
- Fact Sheet: Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation
- Brochure: Transportation Strategic Plan [pdf]
- Brochure: Transporting Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Nuclear
The Department of Energy prefers the Caliente Corridor because it is remote, has few land use conflicts, and can avoid Air Force land. The railroad, when it’s complete, will occupy a strip of land about 200 feet wide. The mile-wide corridor set aside by the Bureau of Land Management allows them to finalize the “exact” route of the railroad within that corridor. The land “not” used will return to its previous status. Existing rail lines can carry shipments as far as Caliente.
One DOE option brings shipments through Goldfield. Two others bypass the town. From there, shipments would travel generally west, winding through passes and valleys. The closest town is Rachel, in Lincoln County, about 20 miles south. From there it’s northwest, skirting mountains and the northern edge of the Air Force Test and Training Range, to Warm Springs Summit. The line would be visible from Nevada Route 6 as it crosses the 62-hundred foot summit. The line would continue west to a point about 15 miles north of Goldfield, where it turns south. The line would then pass about 3 miles east of Goldfield—not through the town itself.
Click on image to watch video about nuclear waste and DOE's rail transporation plans. Nevada map showing proposed rail corridors
