A silver spike driven into a new stretch of railroad track last week marked the completion of a major piece of infrastructure at Fernley’s Victory Logistics District — and what developers and state and local officials described as the beginning of a new phase of industrial growth for the city.
Mark IV Capital, Union Pacific Railroad, PREMIER Design + Build Group, contractors and public officials gathered Aug. 20 along the newly designated Gavin Road for a Silver Spike ceremony celebrating completion of the district’s rail spur.
The new track connects Victory Logistics District directly to Union Pacific’s transcontinental mainline, giving future manufacturers and other rail-dependent businesses access to the national freight network.
“This is much more than another piece of infrastructure,” said Stacy Reed of PREMIER Design + Build Group. “It creates an important connection to help position Fernley and Northern Nevada for continued industrial growth, new businesses, investment and jobs for generations to come.”
The ceremonial spike itself was made with Nevada silver from the Rochester Mine, organizers said, giving the traditional railroad ceremony a distinctly Nevada twist.
Mark IV Capital President and CEO Evan Slavik said rail service has been part of the vision for Victory since the company came to Fernley in 2019.
“From the beginning, we knew that rail was the difference between an industrial park and a true logistics district,” Slavik said. “Today, we now have that logistics district.”
According to Slavik, the completed project includes more than a mile of new track built to Class I railroad standards, along with three runaround tracks serving approximately 100 acres of rail-ready industrial land.
He said the connection opens Victory to manufacturers that need direct rail transportation for raw materials and finished goods.
“The track is in the ground. Union Pacific is connected. It’s done,” Slavik said. “And we’re ready to serve the many manufacturers that will soon call Fernley home.”
Victory Logistics District has been under development for several years on the east side of Fernley. Mark IV has already constructed four industrial buildings totaling nearly 2 million square feet, along with roads and utilities serving a large portion of the development.
Slavik said the company is nearing completion of a four-mile internal road loop and is also constructing a new fire station intended to serve the industrial development and surrounding area.
Mark IV has also been working on the proposed extension of Nevada Pacific Parkway to connect Interstate 80 with U.S. Highway 50, a project company officials say could reduce industrial traffic through central Fernley.
The company has also sold property near Interstate 80 to Maverik for a future fuel station and convenience store.
Fernley Mayor Neal McIntyre said the rail connection represents more than completion of a construction project.
“While we may gather around a piece of infrastructure, we are really celebrating opportunity,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said approximately 60 to 65 percent of Fernley residents currently work outside the city, many commuting west toward the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and Reno-Sparks area.
He said attracting employers to Victory could allow more residents to work closer to home.
“This is going to be a great opportunity,” McIntyre said. “With the increase in businesses, more job opportunities will be available for our citizens.”
He added that the completion of the rail spur sends a broader message to prospective employers.
“Fernley is prepared, Fernley is investing in the future, and Fernley is open for business,” McIntyre said.
Union Pacific Public Affairs Director Peggy Ygbuhay said the railroad operates nearly 1,200 miles of track in Nevada and employs approximately 400 people in the state.
She said Victory’s proximity to the railroad’s transcontinental route gives the district a strategic transportation advantage.
Union Pacific crews brought a locomotive onto the new spur for Thursday’s ceremony, allowing attendees to tour the engine following the program.
The railroad traces its western expansion to the Pacific Railway Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei noted the long history of railroad development in Nevada and compared Thursday’s event to earlier ceremonial spikes marking important rail connections in the state.
Amodei praised the partnership between local government, private developers and Union Pacific.
“You could be anywhere you want,” Amodei told Mark IV representatives. “And you picked here, and you invested here, and your legacy will be here a long time from now.”
Tom Burns, executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said the importance of the project lies in combining transportation infrastructure with the energy capacity needed to attract modern manufacturing.
“Rail is only part of the story,” Burns said. “The Union Pacific rail spur is designed to work hand in hand with the energy infrastructure going alongside it.”
Burns said direct rail access can reduce freight costs for manufacturers while opening Fernley to industries that could not previously consider the area.
He cited advanced manufacturing, battery production, aerospace, defense, metals and advanced materials as examples of industries that commonly depend on both reliable energy and freight transportation.
“It opens up the door to industries that simply could not be here before because they needed the rail to happen,” Burns said.
Slavik said Mark IV believes manufacturing jobs attracted by rail access could pay substantially more than conventional warehouse and distribution positions. He cited potential wages ranging from $22 to $28 per hour for some entry-level positions and $35 to $50 per hour for skilled trades, with some manufacturing jobs averaging $70,000 to $90,000 annually.
Those numbers represent the developer’s projections and will ultimately depend on which companies locate at Victory.
Slavik said the company intends to continue pursuing manufacturers and other major employers for the district.
“When we came here in 2019, we made a series of commitments to this community,” he said, pointing to the completed industrial buildings, roads, utilities, fire station project and now the railroad.
“What you’re seeing today is not just a promise made seven years ago,” Slavik said. “It’s a promise kept.”
The ceremony ended with members of the Mark IV team taking turns driving the silver spike into the track as Union Pacific locomotives stood behind them.
For Slavik, the milestone was also personal. He brought his wife and two sons, Gavin and Connor, to the development for the first time and revealed that two of Victory’s new roads have been named for the boys.
The company’s stated philosophy, Slavik said, is to build projects intended to last for generations.
“We’re proud to be your partner in the growth of this region,” he said. “And we’re just getting started.”
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