[3] The McElhaney Cattle Company maintains trackage rights over the western six miles (9.7 km) of the line, with traffic consisting of grain cars.

Amtrak ran the Sunset Limited on the route until June 1996[2]: 15  when Union Pacific wanted to reduce upkeep costs on the west end of the line; passenger service was rerouted to Maricopa.

[5] The rail line between Wellton and Phoenix was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad, with passenger service commencing in 1928.

[2]: 15 On June 2, 1996, the Sunset Limited was rerouted to a more southerly route between Tucson, and Yuma, Arizona, bypassing Phoenix.

The most recent study was conducted by ADOT in an effort to understand the existing condition of the Wellton Branch and to develop improvement scenarios and capital cost estimates for freight and passenger rail service between Arlington and Wellton, a distance of 90.8 miles (146.1 km).