To expedite construction, the railroad had crews in Utah focused on grading the new path and boring a 3,000-foot (910 m) tunnel, while crews in Colorado built track segments that were transported to site.
On July 4, 1983, at 3:05 p.m., safety inspectors declared the line ready for operation.
At 3:12 p.m., the centralized traffic control signals gave a green light to the first train to pass through the Thistle area since the slide began, an eastbound freight train coming from the Southern Pacific Railroad at Ogden, destined for Herington, Kansas.
Although the line's re-opening on Independence Day was coincidental, the first train became part of the local holiday celebrations.
The first passenger train to use the new alignment was the California Zephyr, on July 16.

Debates ensued over the fate of the Marysvale Branch line.
The mines at the end of the line had long closed; the last train to traverse the entire length of the line passed through in 1970.
Still, farmers and industry in the Sevier and Sanpete Valleys generated enough traffic that the line broke even most years.
However, this line was severely damaged, with several washed-out bridges and railroad tracks draping over the sides of newly created cliffs.
The railroad determined that at best it would take years to recover the cost of rebuilding the line.

The residents of Richfield pressured the Rio Grande to use the portion of the line that was still intact and build a connection to an existing Union Pacific line (the Sharp Subdivision) near Nephi, roughly parallel to State Route 28.
However, the railroad determined with the additional cost of acquiring land for the new right-of-way, the cost would be comparable to rebuilding the old route.
In addition, the Rio Grande would have to pay trackage rights to the Union Pacific for the connection from Nephi, which would further erode profits on a line that was barely profitable.
In the end, the Rio Grande sold the line to a scrap dealer who dismantled it.
Since the line's closure, there have been multiple proposals to rebuild it.
Studies note the loss of railroad access to the region has affected the ability of local industries to compete with producers in other regions that have rail access.
A 2002 study placed the cost of rebuilding the modified routing of the Marysvale Branch line at $80 million, while a 2015 study placed the cost of rebuilding the line as far south as Salina at $110 million (equivalent to $119 million in 2020).
The 2015 study listed restoring rail access to the region as one of three priorities for new freight rail lines in a study presented by the Utah Department of Transportation detailing the current state of Utah's rail infrastructure.
It specifically noted an increase of coal hauling trucks on highways and streets in the area due to the loss of rail access.
To expedite construction, the railroad had crews in Utah focused on grading the new path and boring a 3,000-foot (910 m) tunnel, while crews in Colorado built track segments that were transported to site. On July 4, 1983, at 3:05 p.m., safety inspectors declared the line ready for operation. At 3:12 p.m., the centralized traffic control signals gave a green light to the first train to pass through the Thistle area since the slide began, an eastbound freight train coming from the Southern Pacific Railroad at Ogden, destined for Herington, Kansas. Although the line's re-opening on Independence Day was coincidental, the first train became part of the local holiday celebrations. The first passenger train to use the new alignment was the California Zephyr, on July 16.
Debates ensued over the fate of the Marysvale Branch line. The mines at the end of the line had long closed; the last train to traverse the entire length of the line passed through in 1970. Still, farmers and industry in the Sevier and Sanpete Valleys generated enough traffic that the line broke even most years. However, this line was severely damaged, with several washed-out bridges and railroad tracks draping over the sides of newly created cliffs. The railroad determined that at best it would take years to recover the cost of rebuilding the line.
The residents of Richfield pressured the Rio Grande to use the portion of the line that was still intact and build a connection to an existing Union Pacific line (the Sharp Subdivision) near Nephi, roughly parallel to State Route 28. However, the railroad determined with the additional cost of acquiring land for the new right-of-way, the cost would be comparable to rebuilding the old route. In addition, the Rio Grande would have to pay trackage rights to the Union Pacific for the connection from Nephi, which would further erode profits on a line that was barely profitable. In the end, the Rio Grande sold the line to a scrap dealer who dismantled it. Since the line's closure, there have been multiple proposals to rebuild it. Studies note the loss of railroad access to the region has affected the ability of local industries to compete with producers in other regions that have rail access. A 2002 study placed the cost of rebuilding the modified routing of the Marysvale Branch line at $80 million, while a 2015 study placed the cost of rebuilding the line as far south as Salina at $110 million (equivalent to $119 million in 2020). The 2015 study listed restoring rail access to the region as one of three priorities for new freight rail lines in a study presented by the Utah Department of Transportation detailing the current state of Utah's rail infrastructure. It specifically noted an increase of coal hauling trucks on highways and streets in the area due to the loss of rail access.
Thistle, Utah