Idaho/Railroads
Like highways, railroad tracks have been imported from TIGER data and they share the same problems like unconnected segments, wrong tagging, missing bridges and railroad crossings and positions that are frequently off quite a lot. So a TIGER Review is necessary as it is for highways.
Introduction
This is an early wiki for railroads in Idaho, both freight and passenger. It likely has minor errors as it remains under construction and awaits TIGER Review to be completed. It is approaching alpha, meaning "sensible full structure established in the wiki" and at least a start at TIGER Review of the data. Please endeavor to complete both TIGER Review and the Abandoned section (updating status in tables). Idaho State Rail Plan displays wider-zoomed rail maps by Idaho's Department of Transportation, though this was last published in 2013.
Active lines
Lines that see regular rail traffic. Try this Overpass Turbo query, noting that OT queries are easy to edit. For example, you could change "main" to "branch" or "industrial" and run the query again.
The majority of the 1,709.5 miles of active track in Idaho are owned by two major U.S. railroad operators, or Class I railroads: BNSF and UP. Together they own 995.8 miles of track, or just over 58% of all rail line mileage in the state and have trackage rights over 1666.7 miles of active lines in the state.
There may be additional minor spurs (especially usage=industrial) which are not entered in this wiki. Please endeavor to both correctly tag these in OSM (including completing TIGER Review) and document them here.
Union Pacific (UP)
Union Pacific is a Class I railroad, one of two in Idaho (the other is BNSF). It owns 877.4 miles of trackage in Idaho while leasing a total of 1520.4 miles in the state. This gives UP trackage rights for 89% of all rail lines in the state and several feeder lines leased to smaller local railroads. The company has major operations centers in Idaho at Nampa and Pocatello.
Main
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Huntington Subdivision | UP | 8726026 8726026 | Nampa - Caldwell - Nyssa - Ontario - Payette - Weiser - Oregon Line - Huntington, Oregon - Baker City, Oregon - La Grande, Oregon (La Grande Subdivision) | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged usage=main. Uses automated train stop (ATS) signal controls. 71.7 miles in Idaho. Hauling Treasure Valley industrial loads and agribusiness, through traffic on Northern Transcon. |
Nampa Subdivision | UP | 9075054 9075054 | Nampa - Mountain Home - Bliss - Gooding - Shoshone - Weiser - Dietrich - Minidoka - American Falls - Pocatello (La Grande Subdivision) | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged usage=main. Uses automated train stop (ATS) signal controls. Double-tracked between the two BVRR lines at Caldwell and Nampa. Also double tracked between Treasure Valley and Magic Valley. 238.6 miles. |
Ogden Subdivision | UP | 5407633 5407633 | McCammon - Arimo - Downey - Weston - Utah Line - Cornish, Utah - Trenton, Utah - Deweyville, Utah - Brigham City, Utah - Ogden, Utah | Nearly completely TIGER Reviewed (a few segments near Ogden remain) | Tagged usage=main. 48.9 miles in Idaho. |
Pocatello Subdivision | UP | 5417649 5417649 | Pocatello - Incom - McCammon - Lava Hot Springs - Bancroft - Soda Springs - Montpelier - Wyoming Line - Cokeville, Wyoming - Kemmerer, Wyoming | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=main. Uses automated train stop (ATS) signal controls. Double-tracked in the Porneuf River Valley at a busy crossroad with the Ogden and Montana Subdivisions. 124.3 miles in Idaho. |
UP Spokane Subdivision | UP | 9079385 9079385 | Canadian border at Kingsgate, British Columbia (CP's Kingsgate Subdivision) - Eastport - Bonners Ferry - Sandpoint - Athol - Rathdrum - Post Falls - Washington line - Spokane, Washington - Lakeside Jct., Washington (Lakeside Subdivision) | Mostly TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=main. 121.2 miles in Idaho. Links with Canadian Pacific. There is also a different BNSF Spokane Subdivision in Washington state (1443647 1443647), hence the convention of prefixing these with their owner/operator to avoid ambiguity. |
Branch
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen Subdivision | UP | 5407632 5407632 | Blackfoot - Aberdeen Jct. - Rockford Municipal Airport - Aberdeen | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 28.3 miles. Hauling agricultural products. |
Cache Valley Subdivision | UP | 5407632 5407632 | Preston - Utah Line - Logan, Utah - Cache Jct., Utah (Ogden Subdivision) | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 8.3 miles in Idaho. Hauling agricultural products. |
Dry Valley Subdivision | UP | 7920104 7920104 | E of Soda Springs (Pocatello Subdivision) - Becker / near Conda - Stewart Canyon | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 26.5 miles. Hauling phosphate. |
Malad Subdivision | UP | 8716054 8716054 | Malad - Utah Line - Trementon, Utah - Corinne, Utah | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 14.1 miles in Idaho. Appears to be "embargoed" and so might be moved to Disused section. |
Montana Subdivision | UP | 2305070 2305070 | Pocatello Subdivision - Blackfoot - Idaho Falls - Dubois - Montana Line - Dillon, Montana - Silver Bow, Montana; W of Butte (Copper City Subdivision) | Largely TIGER Reviewed (segments remain between Bingham/Bannock County Line and Idaho Falls | Tagged usage=branch. Uses automated train stop (ATS) signal controls south of Idaho Falls and a track warrant control (TWC) north of Idaho Falls. 131.6 miles in Idaho. Hauling agricultural products. |
Scoville Subdivision | UP | 9075849 9075849 | Aberdeen Jct. - Butte County | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 31.3 miles. The NW end has an abandoned segment that continues to Arco (where there is a mile of railtrail). |
Wallace Subdivision | UP | 9079401 9079401 | Plummer - Washington line - Spokane, Washington | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. 15.1 miles in Idaho. Hauling timber products. |
Industrial
There are industrial spurs around Pocatello as well as other usage=industrial rail in Idaho. Please add them to this table in this section if they are owned by UP or another section if they are not. Try this OT query to better complete these tables.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Idaho Northern Industrial Lead | UP | 9078920 9078920 | Nampa - Middleton | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=industrial. 5.8 miles. Serves CalPortland Company ready mix concrete facility and Amalgamated Sugar Company. |
Coeur d'Alene Industrial Lead Subdivision | UP | The single way is in OSM. | Coeur d'Alene | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged usage=industrial. 2.3 miles. |
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway (BNSF)
BNSF is a Class I railroad, one of two in Idaho (the other is UP). It owns 118.4 miles of trackage in Idaho while leasing a total of 457.9 miles in the state.
Main
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kootenai River Subdivision | BNSF | 1445111 1445111 | Sandpoint - Bonners Ferry - Montana line - Troy, Montana - Libby, Montana - Whitefish, Montana (Hi Line Subdivision) | Mostly TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=main. |
Newport Subdivision | BNSF | 9079428 9079428 | Sandpoint Jct. - Dover | Mostly TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=main. Only a few miles of track, but crucially connects UP Spokane Subdivision, BNSF's Kootenai River Subdivision and POVA at Sandpoint Jct. |
Branch
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coeur d'Alene Subdivision | BNSF | 9079413 9079413 | Post Falls | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. ITD says 12.7 miles in Idaho, but OSM has 9.1 miles because of some abandoned line. |
Montana Rail Link (MRL)
Montana Rail Link is a Class II (medium-sized) railroad on 82 miles of rail leased from BNSF via "trackage rights" and 33.5 miles of trackage owned outright. In OSM, this railway=rail is correctly denoted operator=Montana Rail Link + owner=BNSF if the track is leased. The Idaho segments are known as the "Fourth Subdivision" of MRL, these are not yet "broken out" of the MRL relation. There may be more branches and industrial spurs to add in separate tables here.
Main
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montana Rail Link Main Line | MRL | 1445101 1445101 | Sandpoint - East Hope - Clark Fork - Montana Line - Missoula, Montana - Bozeman, Montana - Billings, Montana | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=main. Owned by BNSF. Class 4 track (maxspeed:freight=60 mph, maxspeed:passenger=79 mph) in Idaho. Owned by the Washington Companies, but operated independently (from BNSF) from its Missoula, Montana offices. Utilizes centralized traffic control (CTC). |
Short Lines (Branch, Industrial or Freight)
Class III (smaller, minor) railroads. Updates/corrections are welcome, especially more TIGER Review.
Boise Valley Railroad (BVRR)
Boise Valley Railroad is two railway segments made up of former Union Pacific (UP) branches. BVRR is owned by Watco, Inc. (WAMX), of Pittsburg, Kansas, a "railroad holding company." BVRR operates a branch between Caldwell (UP's Huntington Subdivision) and Wilder and another branch, its "Boise Subdivision" (between southern Boise and Nampa) with spurs near Boise Airport (west of Hillcrest). It owns 42.1 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 60.6 miles, though some sources say 37 miles owned and 11 additional trackage miles. Hauling potatoes, lumber, fertilizer and fuel. BVRR secured trackage rights over the UP's Huntington and Nampa Subdivisions to link its two branch services. According to BVRR, the railroad will assume switching duties for yards and sidings in the area.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wilder Branch | EIRR | 9075936 9075936 | Caldwell - Wilder | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 11 miles. |
Boise Subdivision | EIRR | 9075935 9075935 | Nampa - Meridian - Boise | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 25 miles. |
Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad (BGCM)
A subsidiary of Williams Group, Incorporated, BGCM is a Class III switching and terminal railroad on 126.6 trackage miles owned in Idaho, with trackage rights on 128.2 miles. BGCM hauls timber and agricultural products from the southern Clearwater River watershed into the Lewiston area.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Konkolville Industrial Spur | BGCM | 9081933 9081933 | Orofino | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=industrial. The bts.gov site (layer "North American Rail Lines") reports this is disused beyond 5.5 miles east of Orofino, though the disused segments are included in this 30-mile short line. |
Kooskia Subdivision | BGCM | 9079508 9079508 | Lewiston - Orofino - Kooskia | Lightly TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=branch. |
Lapwai Industrial Spur | BGCM | 9079733 9079733 | Lapwai - Culdesac | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=industrial. The owner reports this is disused beyond Culdesac. ITD says "prospects for resumption of service to Cottonwood were dimmed when a wooden trestle north of Winchester was destroyed by a brush fire in 2011." |
Eastern Idaho Railroad (EIRR)
EIRR is owned by Watco, Inc. (WAMX), of Pittsburg, Kansas, a "railroad holding company." EIRR operates Northern and Southern segments with UP interchanges at Idaho Falls and Minidoka, respectively. It owns 264.5 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 266.1 miles. EIRR has trackage rights on UP's Nampa Subdivision between Minidoka and Pocatello.
The Northern segment and its lines:
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Belt Branch | EIRR | 9075816 9075816 | Newdale - Orvin | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 38 miles. |
Goshen Industrial Lead | EIRR | 9075814 9075814 | Ammon - Lincoln Jct. | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. 4 miles. |
Idaho Falls Mainline | EIRR | 9075820 9075820 | Idaho Falls | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch, even though it is called "Mainline" by the railroad. 5 miles. |
Saint Anthony Industrial Lead | EIRR | 9075815 9075815 | Saint Anthony - Egin | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. 12 miles. |
West Belt Industrial Lead | EIRR | 9075817 9075817 | Ucon - Menan | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. 10 miles. |
Yellowstone Branch | EIRR | 9075818 9075818 | Idaho Falls - Ashton | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 52 miles. |
The Southern segment and its lines:
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Side Branch | EIRR | 9075513 9075513 | Rupert - Wendell | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 57 miles. |
Oakley Industrial Lead | EIRR | 9075512 9075512 | Burley - Martin | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. 11 miles. |
Raft River Industrial Lead | EIRR | 9075557 9075557 | Burley - Declo | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. 9 miles. |
Twin Falls Branch | EIRR | 9075511 9075511 | Minidoka - Buhl | Mostly TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. 74 miles. |
Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW)
GRNW is owned by Watco, Inc. (WAMX), of Pittsburg, Kansas, a "railroad holding company." GRNW owns 4.3 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 4.3 miles in Idaho. GRNW operates more main line track in Washington state west of Lewiston and provides connectivity to the UP (via UP Riparia Subdivision, hence the operator-prefix naming) and BNSF systems for the BGCM and any cargo entering the Port of Lewiston. Interchange with UP and BNSF. Primary commodities are forest products consisting of lumber, paper and tissue; agricultural products, industrial and farm chemicals and scrap iron.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GRNW Riparia Subdivision | GRNW | 7446857 7446857 | Lewiston - Washington Line - Riparia, Washington | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged railway=branch. 4.3 miles in Idaho according to ITD, 2.36 according to OSM. Handles switching and termininal duties for the Port of Lewiston. |
Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad (INPR)
INPR is a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, based in Fort Worth, Texas with offices in Emmett, Idaho. INPR operates two rail lines, one from La Grande to Elgin, Oregon, another running from Payette through Emmett and then into the canyon of the North Fork of the Payette River northward to Cascade. (The segment to McCall has been abandoned). INPR formerly operated a former UP spur connecting Boise with UP mainline at Nampa. However, BVRR took over operation in 2009. INPR owns 101.3 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 157.8 miles. INPR serves timber industries north of the Treasure Valley region.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cascade Branch | INPR | 9076038 9076038 | Payette - Emmett - Cascade | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. |
Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (POVA)
POVA owns 25.7 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 28.7 miles in Idaho.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
POVA | POVA | 8777524 8777524 | Dover - Priest River - Oldtown - Washington Line - Newport, Washington - Cusick, Washington - Ione, Washington - Metaline Falls, Washington | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=branch. |
Saint Maries River Railroad (STMA)
Classified as a Class III switching and terminal railroad, STMA owns approximately 28.4 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 72.3 miles, though some sources say all 72.3 miles are owned by STMA. Approximately 35 miles north of the BGCM, the 72.3 mile STMA system feeds the UP Wallace Subdivision. Hauling raw timber products and finished lumber goods such as plywood and inbound carloads of magnesium chlorite. Seems to be the owner of significant disused or abandoned trackage further south along the Saint Maries River to Bovill; see the appropriate section below (now in Disused).
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
STMA | STMA | 9079091 9079091 | Saint Maries - Plummer | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged railway=industrial. ? miles. |
Washington & Idaho Railway (WIR)
WIR owns 19.1 miles of trackage and has trackage rights on 19.1 miles in Idaho. It does not appear to have any customers in Idaho. Interchanges with BNSF. Commodities include agricultural goods, cement, fertilizer. May be operated by WIR under least from Watco's Washington Idaho Montana (WIM) Line.
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
P&L Subdivision | WIR | 9081986 9081986 | Moscow, but apparently, no customers (abuts University of Idaho) | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged railway=industrial. <1 mile in Idaho. Needs extension into Washington state (so relation includes all members). |
WIM Industrial Spur | WIR | 9081985 9081985 | Harvard - Potlatch - Washington line - Palouse, Washington | Needs TIGER Review | Tagged railway=industrial. 21 miles, including 3.4 miles in Washington state. Abandoned beyond Harvard, SE of Palouse River, then the abandoned ROW curves north to Saint Maries. |
Military (USG)
There is some usage=military rail in Idaho:
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Idaho National Laboratory Spur | US DoD | 9075848 9075848 | Scoville Branch - INL | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=military. Owned and operated by US Government (Department of Defense? Department of Energy?). About 14 miles of track. Name is speculative. |
MHAFB Spur | US DoD | 9075312 9075312 | Mountain Home (Nampa Subdivision) - MHAFB | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=military. Owned and operated by US Department of Defense (Department of the Air Force). About 5 miles of track. Name is speculative. |
Orchard Spur | US DoD | 9075311 9075311 | Ada County (Nampa Subdivision) - Orchard CTC | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Tagged usage=military. Owned and operated by US Department of Defense. About 12 miles of track. Name is speculative. |
Disused lines
There is some rail tagged railway=disused in Idaho. The longer, more significant (several to nearly 50 miles) are included in the table below. However, many more minor spurs, sidings and small segments of rail are also tagged as such. Try this OT query to find these.
Should UP's Malad Subdivision be included in this table? What about eastern portions of BGCM's Konkolville Industrial Spur?
Subdivision | Operator | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dry Valley Subdivision (disused) | UP | 9084840 9084840 | Stewart Canyon | Needs TIGER Review | 8.1 miles. |
Fort Hall Spur | UP | 9084841 9084841 | Fort Hall (Montana Subdivision), eastward | Partially TIGER Reviewed | 21.4 miles. Name is speculative. |
Lapwai Industrial Spur | BGCM | 9084842 9084842 | Culdesac - Craigmont - Ferdinand - Cottonwood | Mostly TIGER Reviewed | 38.1 miles. |
Saint Maries River Railroad or Washington and Idaho Railway | STMA? WIR? | 9084843 9084843 | S of Saint Maries - Boville | Needs TIGER Review | 47.2 miles. Northerly into Saint Maries is active rail. |
Abandoned lines
There is a substantial amount of rail tagged railway=abandoned in Idaho. Try this OT query and help to complete this table! This will also yield a great many present-day Railtrails (see section below).
Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad (BGCM)? BNSF Coeur d'Alene Subdivision near Post Falls? INPR to McCall?
Subdivision | old_railway_operator=* | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(not named) | Milwaukee Road | 9084888 9084888 | Bovill - Deary - S of Harvard | Needs TIGER Review | 26 miles. Not known whether BGCM or STMA is the present owner of the ROW. |
Macay Branch (abandoned) | UP? | 9084974 9084974 | End of Scoville Subdivision - NW to Argo - Mackay | Needs TIGER Review | 43 miles, including 1 mile of railtrail in Arco. Not sure if UP is the owner of the ROW. |
Wells Branch | UP? EIRR? | 9068283 9068283 | Twin Falls - Nevada line - near Jackpot, Nevada - Wells, Nevada | Needs TIGER Review | 121.6 miles. Not known whether UP or EIRR is the present owner of the ROW. |
Railtrails
A railtrail uses a former railroad right-of-way (ROW) for equestrian, bicycle or hiking paths, preserving the ROW for possible future re-use as a railway while providing a useful service in the meantime. These are often tagged highway=cycleway or highway=footway depending on whether they prefer or allow bicycle or pedestrian traffic. It is OK to tag both railway=abandoned and highway=cycleway if it is the case that an abandoned railway became a railtrail (for bicycle use, for example). Where a (multi-use) pathway is designated for pedestrians but also allows bicycles, tag highway=footway and bicycle=yes.
There will often be significant overlap between the Abandoned and Railtrails sections. Do your best to keep them "synced" though it can sometimes be a coin-toss whether something properly belongs in one or the other. If it is an active pedestrian, equestrian, mountain bike or bicycle trail, it goes here. If it is an abandoned rail ROW only, not allowing trespassing, it goes into the Abandoned section.
Here are some known railtrails in Idaho and OSM not yet entered into this table, which is incomplete: NorPac Trail, North Idaho Centennial Trail, Prairie Trail and Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. If you find a railtrail that needs to be added, updated or improved, please do so!
Name | Relation | Route | TIGER Review | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ashton-Tetonia | 9084992 9084992 | Ashton - Tetonia | Done | Regional bicycle trail (network=rcn), hiking allowed. 29.6 miles. |
Bill Chipman Palouse Trail | 2267715 2267715 | Moscow / University of Idaho - Washington line | Needs TIGER Review | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn). 7.7 miles. |
Boise River Greenbelt | 2990536 2990536 | Eagle Island - Garden City - Boise - Barber Park - Sandy Point State Park | Largely TIGER Reviewed | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn) and hiking trail. 39.5 miles. Needs work to complete connectivity. |
John Wayne Pioneer Trail | 9085173 9085173 | Plummer - Washington Line - Tekoa, Washington - Continues through Washington as part JWPT and part Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail about 15 miles E of SeaTac, Washington | Largely TIGER Reviewed | Regional bicycle trail (network=rcn) trail. 9.2 miles in Idaho, the connecting Washington state portion (P2CSPT) is over 290 miles, nearly to Greater Seattle. |
Paradise Path and Latah Trail | 2267714 2267714 2267713 2267713 | Moscow - Troy | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn). 15.7 miles. One contiguous trail: Paradise Path is in the city limits of Moscow, Latah Trail is in the County of Latah and the city of Troy. |
Route of the Hiawatha Trail | 2249642 2249642 | Bogle (Shoshone County) in Idaho Panhandle National Forest / Moon Pass Road - Mineral County, Montana (East Portal) | Done | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn). 14.6 miles. |
Sandpoint-Dover Community Trail | 9086886 9086886 | Sandpoint - Dover | No TIGER tags | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn). 3.3 miles. |
Weiser River Trail | 5681752 5681752 | Weiser - W of New Meadows | Partially TIGER Reviewed | Regional bicycle trail (network=rcn), hiking allowed. 85.6 miles. |
Wood River Trails | 9085056 9085056 | Ketchum - Haley - Bellvue | Done | Local bicycle trail (network=lcn), hiking allowed. 20.2 miles. |
Passenger trains
Tracks and stations used for passenger train routes are correctly collected into route=train relations. There is an earlier (with simpler structure) "version 1" method to do this that involves simply "tracks and stations" being in the relation. There is a later "version 2" method which is more complex and requires the exact stop position of the train, platforms for passengers, full "directionality" for each aspect of the train's travel, and a super-relation to tie these together. Please see this wiki section for full details on how to "upgrade" a public_transport:version=1 route=train relation to public_transport:version=2.
Try OpenPublicTransportMap (OPTM): it displays passenger rail in route=train relations. At closer zooms, OPTM also displays route=light_rail, route=subway, route=tram, route=monorail, route=funicular, route=bus, route=trolleybus, route=aerialway and route=ferry with colors similar to ORM. Please compare and contrast ORM (rail infrastructure) and OPTM (passenger routes) with OSM's Transport layer which rather simply displays "any and all rail" (railway=*), though not disused or abandoned rail, and at closer zooms, route=bus. Here was another rail renderer which displayed rail-based passenger routes with their colour=* or color=* tag (no longer functional, it was handy on Amtrak).
Amtrak® (passenger=national) trains serving Idaho (AMTK)
Route | Trains | Passenger Service | Relation | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Empire Builder® | 7, 8, 27, 28 | national | v1 CHI-SPK 1809794 1809794 | Complete; rough public_transport v1. 2206 miles (3550 km) (Chicago - Seattle). Underlying infrastructure (route=railway) relations need fixing. Serving in Idaho: Sandpoint. |
Color is Amtrak passenger=national route = blue. As Idaho's passenger=national Amtrak route is a lengthy overnight train (nearly all Amtrak national trains are overnight, though not all routes which pass through a single state are night trains), this is assigned a darker (web safe) blue.
Regional (passenger=regional) trains (none)
Presently, no "regional rail" exists in Idaho (medium-distances of 150 km to 1000 km; shorter than passenger=national rail but longer than passenger=suburban "commuter" trains, passenger=urban light-rail and passenger=local monorails/trams/tourist trains). Sometimes called "intercity."
Suburban / "Commuter" (passenger=suburban) trains (none)
Presently, no "commuter rail" exists in Idaho (full-sized "heavy rail" linking a large city's center with its outlying suburbs, often in other counties).
City / Light Rail (passenger=urban) trains (none)
Presently, no "city rail" exists in Idaho (urban "light rail" serving a usually dense downtown and surrounding area).
Local Rail (passenger=local) trains (????)
Local rail includes tourism-oriented trains (in another section).
Historic, heritage, museum, tourism, mining (passenger=local) trains
It is not known if there are any tourism railroads in Idaho. A first table might contain route=railway relations.
(Table goes here)
A second table might contain route=train relations. Known destinations/stations and current online/printed schedules are useful sources as passenger rail routes and platform locations develop in OSM.
(Table goes here)
In the USA, passenger=local is sometimes tagged on historic/heritage/museum/tourism/mining route=train relations. Also, passenger=local is sometimes seen on, for example, airport-style railway=monorail or "People Mover" trains (often conductor-less / fully automated) linking airport terminals, rental car areas, long-term parking and correspondences with other transit networks.
Depending on similar Idaho rail facilities, create a new section/table for amusement park rail. There are both railway=narrow_gauge and railway=monorail in Idaho's Silverwood Theme Park south of Athol (Kootenai County). California has substantial amusement park rail (and similar private rail), California/Railroads' section on Tourism rail struggles with similar categorization and tagging. Map your best, wiki your best!
Yards
It would be very kind for more OSM volunteers to continue to build up this statewide "Yards" table with status on every single Idaho rail yard. Let's better complete it! Additionally, there are industrial parks and transload facilities in Idaho which might go into a separate table here.
Name | Railroad | Area | Subdivision(s) Served | TIGER Review | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gavilon Grain | EIRR | Burley | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | Placeholder. Please continue to add to this table. |
Lansing Grain | UP | Bliss | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | Placeholder. Please continue to add to this table. |
Land O Lakes Farmland Feed | UP | Gooding | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | Placeholder. Please continue to add to this table. |
Simplot Land and Livestock | UP | Mountain Home | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | Placeholder. Please continue to add to this table. |
Hauser Yard | BNSF | Hauser | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | An important rail refueling center. |
Nampa Yard | UP | Nampa | ? | TIGER Review partially complete | An important transloading center in Idaho. |
Pocatello Yard | UP | Pocatello | Montana, Pocatello | TIGER Review partially complete | Please continue to add to this table. |
Sandpoint Junction Yard | BNSF | Sandpoint | Kootenai River, Newport | TIGER Review partially complete | May also service UP trains on UP Spokane Subdivision and MRL trains; not known. |