Union Pacific Makes Repairs in Three Subdivisions in Southwest after Monsoon
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Union Pacific
LOS ANGELES – Union Pacific finishes repairs in three California subdivisions after flooding caused by torrential rainfall.
Over the Labor Day weekend, Union Pacific made three announcements about weather in the Southwestimpacting operations. On Friday, September 1st, southern California and southwest Arizona experienced an “intense series of monsoon thunderstorms . . . [that] impacted railway operations, specifically impacting [its] El Centro, Calexico, and Yuma subdivisions.”
There is limited access to the areas because of road closures, but UP maintained that crews are clearing debris to restore service. Once that process is finished, UP will “temporarily implement slow order speed restrictions on this line to ensure trains can operate safely.”
In a second announcement, the Class I detailed the work being done in each subdivision. The Yuma subdivision has seen restored service to one of its two main tracks, with the second track restored over the latter part of the weekend. The Calexico subdivision is still out of service as of yesterday, but UP is assessing the area and is working to “expedite repairs and restoration of service in this area.”
The Cima subdivision experienced flash flooding between Las Vegas, Nevada and Yermo, California and impacted UP’s operations in the area. Overnight Sunday, UP finished repairs on the Cima subdivision. All tracks in the Cima and Yuma subdivisions are back in service, but “it will take several more days to alleviate the train congestion that has built up during this challenging period.” Additionally, UP is working on “rebalancing locomotive power and crew availability in the affected region.”
