Railroad News

Union Pacific Railroad this week began construction on a new bridge over Bayou Lafourche in Donaldsonville, La.

The new bridge is an important part of Louisiana's effort to reintroduce freshwater from the Mississippi River into Bayou Lafourche, UP and state officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday announced four appointments to leadership roles in marketing and sales.

The personnel changes, which take effect Sept. 1, involve John Kaiser, Jason Hess, Brad Thrasher and Kenny Rocker, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad achieved an employee reportable injury rate of 0.70 from January through June, marking the lowest rate in the railroad's 154-year history, the Class I announced yesterday.

Reportable employee injury rates are measured by employee injuries reported to the Federal Railroad Administration for every 200,000 employee-hours worked. UP became the safest U.S. Class I railroad based on its 2015 employee reportable injury rate of 0.87, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Corp. reported today its second-quarter 2016 profit fell to $979 million, or $1.17 per diluted share, compared with $1.2 billion, or $1.38 per diluted share, in second-quarter 2015.

Operating revenue declined 12 percent to $4.8 billion, while operating income fell 15 percent to $1.7 billion compared with last year's Q2 performance, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad is soliciting public comments on its Response Management Communications Center (RMCC) as part of a required assessment to maintain the center's accreditation.

The center centralizes UP's responses to critical incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Union Pacific Railroad was recognized last week by Food Logistics as a "Top Green Provider" for delivering fresh food and beverages, the Class I announced last week.

UP is the first large North American railroad to receive the recognition. The publication's annual list recognizes companies whose products, services or leadership enhances sustainability within the food and beverage industry, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad last week announced plans to upgrade its infrastructure this year in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana.

Between 2011 to 2015, the Class I has invested more than $50 million in Minnesota, $46 million in Wisconsin and $5.8 million in Montana on infrastructure improvements, according to UP press releases.

Union Pacific Railroad recently announced multimillion-dollar infrastructure improvement plans for the states of New Mexico, Utah and Washington.

In New Mexico, UP plans to spend $11.5 million this year — $11 million to maintain track and $196,000 to maintain bridges. A key project: UP has set aside $4 million to replace 22,091 ties and install 7,791 tons of ballast on a line between Lordsburg, N.M., and the Grant-Luna county line.

Union Pacific Railroad has released its 2016 infrastructure improvement plans for two more states: Nevada and Wyoming.

The Class I plans to spend $28.5 million this year in Wyoming, including $25.9 million to improve track and $2.4 million to maintain bridges. Key allocations include $7.6 million to replace more than 13 miles of rail on a line between Cheyenne and Granite Canon, and $2.6 million to replace nearly four miles of rail on a line between Rawlins and Rock Springs.

Union Pacific Railroad returned to using the tracks where a crude-oil train derailed late last week in Mosier, Ore., near the Columbia River Gorge.

A preliminary investigation indicates a fastener that connects the rail tie with the rail caused the derailment, according to a report in The Oregonian.

The freight cars of the Union Pacific Railroad crude-oil train that derailed late last week in Oregon were jacketed CPC-1232s with full-height head shields, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced yesterday.

The westbound train was transporting tank cars loaded with Bakken crude oil when 16 cars derailed at 12:20 p.m. June 3 in Mosier, Ore. Crude oil was released from at least one car, and several cars then caught on fire.

Union Pacific Railroad announced plans to spend a total $108 million on rail infrastructure projects in Idaho, Oregon and Iowa in 2016, the Class I announced last month.

In Idaho, UP will spend $34.9 million to maintain track and $883,000 to maintain bridges. Key investments will include $3.3 million to replace 27,704 ties on the rail line in Pocatello; $8.2 million to replace 60,510 ties on the line between Mountain Home and Boise; and $4.2 million to replace 3 miles of rail and 24,000 ties on the rail line along the Pocatello Subdivision and within the Pocatello Yard.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday issued its "2015 Building America Report," which highlights the Class I's progress toward its safety, social, environmental and economic sustainability goals.

The report uses the Global Reporting Initiative's G4 Guidelines to outline UP's "most relevant" sustainability issues and opportunities, said Scott Moore, senior vice president-corporate relations said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad plans to spend a total of $91.7 million this year to improve its infrastructure in Missouri and Arizona, the Class I announced this week.

In Missouri, UP has budgeted $54 million, with $37.7 million going toward track maintenance and $15.5 million toward bridge maintenance, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad has received Toyota Logistics Services' 2015 Logistics Excellence Award in Customer Service, the Class I announced yesterday.

Toyota measures outstanding performance of all logistics suppliers, including railroads. Its Logistics Excellence Award considers communication, equipment supply, transit performance, responsiveness, collaboration, business controls and overall ease of doing business, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad, the Federal Railroad Administration and Port of Tucson officials last week marked the completion of a $5 million expansion of the port's rail infrastructure and container export facility.

Funded with a $5 million grant funded in 2013 through the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, the project covered several infrastructure upgrades including the installation of siding extensions, high-speed power switches and a new main line switch to increase flexible operations at the site, according to a post on UP's Inside Track blog.

Union Pacific Railroad will spend $70.9 million this year to improve rail track and bridges in Colorado, the Class I announced yesterday.

The announcement is one of a series of state-by-state plans that UP has been rolling out as part of its list of $3.7 billion worth of infrastructure projects it has planned for its rail network this year.

Union Pacific Railroad and international logistics service provider Katoen Natie announced today a new service that transports plastic pellets from the Gulf region to Dallas.

The Dallas-to-Dock Service will transport the pellets in hopper cars to Dallas, where they will be packaged and transferred to intermodal containers. From there, the containers will travel to ocean ports via the railroad's intermodal service, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad announced this week that it would spend more than $228 million this year to improve railroad infrastructure in Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois.

The projects are part of UP's plans to spend a total $3.7 billion across its network this year, the Class I said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad will spend $83 million this year to improve railroad infrastructure in Arkansas, the Class I announced late last week in the latest of its state-by-state capital expenditure reports.

The investment will cover a range of projects, including $73 million to maintain track and $9 million to maintain bridges, according to a UP press release.