Washoe-led study recommends using existing Union Pacific line for short-term commuter service to Tahoe Reno Industrial Center
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Summary
Washoe County and RTC partners told the AB256 Regional Rail Working Group that a WSP-led study recommends short-term passenger service on existing Union Pacific tracks between Reno/Sparks and the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, with longer-term freight infrastructure upgrades required; the study will be finished next month and presented to the RTC board in March 2026.
A Washoe County-led study recommends using the existing Union Pacific rail corridor to create short-term commuter service between Reno, Sparks and the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC), presenters told the AB256 Regional Rail Working Group.
"We commissioned a firm by the name of WSP to perform that study," John Hester, the Washoe County resident member on the working group, said during the committee's Feb. 25 meeting. Hester described a regional effort and a June 2023 Caltrans report that envisioned expanding intercity corridor service to Reno with six daily trips.
Mr. Gee, who presented the RTC's commuter-rail analysis, said the study focused on placing a limited number of passenger trains on the existing Union Pacific line and modeling freight impacts in parallel because Union Pacific owns the track. "If we're gonna move passengers on Union Pacific line, we're obviously gonna need permission from Union Pacific," he said, noting that freight capacity and risk must be managed.
The study identifies a preferred alignment in the TRIC that generally parallels Electric Avenue to place stations close to major employers such as Tesla and Panasonic and to maximize ridership. Short-term recommendations emphasize a few peak-period trains, "fewer trains, but longer trains, to get folks to work," Mr. Gee said, while long-term plans would address freight-side infrastructure including double-tracking, storage yards, intermodal facilities and track extensions to employer sites.
Presenters and county partners cited local conditions that shaped the analysis: the 14-mile I-80 corridor linking Reno, Sparks and TRIC currently sees roughly 150 crashes a year and about 20,000 daily commuters between Reno, Sparks and the Tri Center, figures Mr. Gee cited to justify demand for alternatives. Story County manager Austin Osborne said TRIC currently employs about 25,000 people with projections as high as 35,000 in some materials.
The study remains a planning document: Mr. Gee said the report would be finished next month and the team plans to present anticipated costs and ridership to the steering committee, funding partners and the RTC board in March 2026. Multiple presenters emphasized early coordination with Union Pacific to ensure commuter service does not unduly impede freight operations.
On funding, Paul Nelson of the RTC said the project is currently an unfunded regional priority that will likely require federal discretionary grants such as INFRA or MEGA and potential contributions from local stakeholders and major employers.
What happens next: the working group will receive the final WSP study and the RTC board will see the analysis in March 2026. No formal motions or funding decisions were made at the AB256 meeting.
