Council said communication gap has soured promising project

The Surprise City Council expressed some excitement four years ago when rail giant BNSF first approached it about plans to build a large intermodal rail hub off of Grand Avenue northwest of Surprise in Wittman.

City officials toured the company’s sites in Kansas City and Dallas to learn more about the operation and confirmed what was shaping up as a good partnership.

But BNSF suddenly pulled out of plans to annex into Surprise, yet continued forward on its 4,300-acre rail hub that could bring tens of thousands of vehicles to the congested area of U.S. 60 (Grand Avenue).

When Surprise officials began asking BNSF about what it’s doing about water, traffic and environmental concerns, the company stopped answering their calls.

“W

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