Largest new construction?

There's no way that the statement that it would be be largest new railway in the US since the civil war can be correct.Philip 08:48, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC)

My reference for this fact was the Hetland article, listed in the References section. slambo 11:30, Jan 7, 2005 (UTC)

After rereading your comment, here's another comment. It's not the "largest new railway" is the "largest new railway construction" with the emphasis on the construction of new track (nearly 300 miles of new right-of-way and track). The only similar projects that I can think of off the top of my head are both Southern Pacific Railroad projects: Palmdale cutoff through Cajon Pass in California and the Lucin cutoff bypassing the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I'll have to check with my resources on the total lengths of new track with these projects. slambo 15:56, Jan 7, 2005 (UTC)

I just found a more reliable source for the "largest new construction" claim, but it shortens the time frame substantially. The Trains magazine article cited in the References section says that this project is the largest new railroad construction since the Milwaukee Road completed the Pacific extension in 1909. I'll be updating the article to reflect this shortly... slambo 23:43, Jan 19, 2005 (UTC)