UP invest more than $42 million for improvements in Illinois, Wyoming

Union Pacific will improve part of Illinois' transportation infrastructure with a nearly $22-million investment to its rail line that runs from Dupo to near Fults, Ill. The projects include installing nearly 48 miles of new rail, replacing six switches and renewing the surfaces in 89 road crossings. 

The rail replacement
project began May 4 and is scheduled to be completed the first week of July. The
road-surfacing improvement projects began in April and are scheduled to be
completed in mid-September and the switch replacement began in March and is
expected to be completed by the end of May.  

In Wyoming, Union Pacific is
investing more than $20 million to improve the rail line that runs from near
Manville to near Lusk. Work on the nearly 26-mile stretch of railroad track
began May 4 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-June.

The project includes
removing and installing new rail and more than 67,000 concrete ties. Crews also
will spread more than 86,000 tons of rock ballast reinforcing the roadbed.

Union Pacific is using a
modern track renewal train, the TRT 909, which installs rail and concrete ties
in one pass. The TRT can install up to 5,000 ties in a 12-hour day.