Rail Access to Yucca Mountain: Critical Issues

Conference · Tue Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2003

OSTI ID:826409

Halstead, R J; Dilger, F; Moore, R C

The proposed Yucca Mountain repository site currently lacks rail access. The nearest mainline railroad is almost 100 miles away. Absence of rail access could result in many thousands of truck shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Direct rail access to the repository could significantly reduce the number of truck shipments and total shipments. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identified five potential rail access corridors, ranging in length from 98 miles to 323 miles, in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Yucca Mountain. The FEIS also considers an alternative to rail spur construction, heavy-haul truck (HHT) delivery of rail casks from one of three potential intermodal transfer stations. The authors examine the feasibility and cost of the five rail corridors, and DOE's alternative proposal for HHT transport. The authors also address the potential for rail shipments through the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

• Research Organization: State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects Carson City, NV; Clark County Nuclear Waste Division, Las Vegas, NV; Pronghorn Engineering Laramie, WY (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: none (US)
• OSTI ID: 826409
• Resource Relation: Conference: Waste Management 2003 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/23/2003--02/27/2003; Other Information: PBD: 25 Feb 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
CASKS
CONSTRUCTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
NUCLEAR FUELS
TRANSPORT
URBAN AREAS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YUCCA MOUNTAIN