UP marks silver anniversary of SPRB coal trains

Written by jrood

Mid-day 25 years ago August 16, the first Union Pacific and former Chicago & North Western coal train moved out of Wyoming's Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) coal field over a new 107-mile rail line connecting Union Pacific to the region. The C&NW merged with Union Pacific in 1995. Since the line was opened between Joyce, Neb., and Shawnee Junction, Wyo., in 1984, several milestones have been met including the operation of the 100,000th train March 17, 2001 and the movement of the 200,000th loaded coal train May 10, 2009 out of the SPRB.         

"Capital investment in
our coal corridor clearly has paid dividends for our customers over the past 25
years and has brought abundant, low-cost, low-sulfur coal to U.S. electrical
power plants. Operating the 200,000th train over the connector line during the
25th anniversary year of our entry in the South Powder River Basin is a
thrilling milestone for our company," said Doug Glass, Union Pacific vice
president and general manager – Energy.

 

One rail car of coal
provides the energy to generate enough electricity for more than 20 homes for a
year. Union Pacific’s 200,000 trains out of the SPRB have carried enough coal
to power all the homes in the United States for five years. Approximately 50
percent of America’s electricity comes from coal, one of the most affordable
and reliable energy sources.

 

Southern Powder River Basin
Fast Facts

• Burlington Northern
Railroad and C&NW became interested in developing Wyoming’s coal fields in
the early 1970s following the first Arab oil embargo and the anticipation of
inexpensive low sulfur coal.

• Union Pacific helped
underwrite the C&NW’s entry to the SRPB coalfields by more than $325
million. The project was code named "Project Yellow" because of UP’s
signature armour yellow locomotives.

• C&NW’s first SPRB
coal train moved August 16, 1984, from North Antelope, Wyo., to Newark, Ark.

• In 1985, Union Pacific’s
first full year, the railroad moved 19 million tons, averaging almost five
trains per day.

• In 1985, an 11,000-ton
coal train was average.

• In 1995, Union Pacific
averaged 23 trains per day and average train size had grown to almost 12,000
tons.

• Today, Union Pacific
averages more than 30 trains per day and average train size has grown to more
than 15,500 tons.

 

Union Pacific’s Major
Capacity Projects on the Corridor

• The completion of a
four-year construction of a 108-mile third main line track between North Platte
and Gibbon, Neb., in 1999.

  In 2000, completing a four-year project constructing a
second main line track between Gibbon, Neb., and Marysville, Kan.

• Also in 2000, Union
Pacific began to construct 37 miles of second main line track on its line
between South Morrill, Neb., and Shawnee, Wyo. As part of the track
construction, 24 bridges were built at various locations.

• Union Pacific increased
the capacity at its South Morrill rail yard and built a new bridge at South
Bayard, Neb.

• Union Pacific acquired
the 107-mile rail line between Upland, Kan., and St. Joseph, Mo., from RailTex,
Inc., in August 1998 to add additional capacity between Marysville and Kansas
City. The line between Upland and Hiawatha, Kan., handles primarily empty
westbound coal trains.

• In 2003, the second main
line was completed on Union Pacific’s South Morrill line between South Morrill
and North Platte, Neb.

• A third main line was
added in North Platte in 2006.

• In 2006, the Marysville,
Kan., bypass opened to expedite the movement of loaded and empty coal trains.

 

"SPRB coal volume has
increased 11 percent annually between 1985 and 2008," Glass said.
"Demand for coal is off this year due to the global recession, lower
demand for metallurgical coal and reduced industrial output. However, Union
Pacific is delivering SPRB coal to a recently constructed power plant in
Nebraska and expects to deliver SPRB coal to a new plant currently under
construction in Texas. Another coal-fired power plant planning to burn SPRB
coal is under construction in Arkansas.

 

"Cap and Trade
legislation under consideration by Congress has temporarily stymied development
of conventional coal-fired power plants and if passed in its current form,
threatens to raise energy prices for household electricity and many types of
manufactured goods. However, support and development of new power plant
technologies capable of capturing CO2 could result in increased demand for
coal, help address the United States’ desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and continue to provide cost-effective electricity to U.S. industry and consumers.
There currently are two new coal-fired power plants under review in Texas that
will use technology to capture most of the carbon dioxide emissions and use the
gas in secondary oil recovery. If these plants are approved, we expect SPRB
coal to be their primary fuel source."

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