Railroad News

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.

Union Pacific Railroad will spend $121.6 million this year to upgrade its infrastructure in California.

The Class I's capital expenditure plan for the state includes $104 million to maintain railroad track and $17.3 million to maintain bridges, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad will spend $513 million this year to improve transportation infrastructure in Texas, the Class I announced Monday.

The projects will include $429 million to maintain track and $79 million to maintain bridges, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad has honored 65 companies with its Pinnacle Award for their commitment to safely transport chemical products, the Class I announced yesterday.

The award recognizes UP customers for implementing release prevention, corrective plans and having zero non-accident releases (NARs) of regulated hazardous materials shipments, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad logged first-quarter net income of $979 million, or $1.16 per diluted share, compared with $1.15 billion, or $1.30 per diluted share, in the previous year's quarter, the Class I reported this morning.

Operating revenue of $4.8 billion was down 14 percent compared with first-quarter 2015, as the railroad faced declining carloads in many of its business lines, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Corp.'s board has elected Jane Holl Lute as its newest member, the Class I announced yesterday.

Lute is former deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, having served the agency from 2009 to 2013.

Union Pacific Railroad's Twin Cities Service Unit reported 21 percent fewer railroad crossing incidents in 2015 versus 2014, the Class I announced last week.

The change in incidents reflects progress in educating the driving public about rail safety, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad has appointed Peter Decher president of subsidiary ShipCarsNow Inc.

Decher, who joined the Class I in 2005, succeeds Martin Coalson, who recently retired after a 37-year career with UP, according to a company press release.

Starting today, Union Pacific Railroad will increase train speed on 7.5 miles of rail line in Clark County, Nev., following recent track upgrades in the Las Vegas area, the Class I announced late last week.

Track improvements that meet or exceed Federal Railroad Administration standards will enable UP to speed up trains from 40 mph to 60 mph on rail line between Bonanza Road and Maule Avenue, UP officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad employees set an all-time reportable personal injury rate record in 2015, improving 11 percent from 2014 to 0.87, UP announced today.

The injury rate makes UP the safest Class I in the United States based on Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, according to a UP press release.

Union Pacific Railroad was named the most admired company in the trucking, transportation and logistics industry by Fortune for the sixth consecutive year, UP announced last week.

The recognition is the 13th time in 17 years that the Class I has been named No. 1. The magazine's annual "World's Most Admired" list is published in the March 1 edition, according to a UP press release.