Union Pacific closing Palestine, Texas, car shop a few days early

Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief

Originally scheduled for June 14, Union Pacific has announced it will close car shop earlier.

In April of this year, RT&S reported that Union Pacific was planning to lay off 57 workers at and close its Palestine car shop on June 14. The shop is being closed as part of the railroad’s Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) program.

RT&S has learned that the railroad notified shop employees on June 3 that their end of shift on the June 14 would be their last day. However, on June 8, officials told the shop employees that June 10 would be there last day.

While the city of Palestine, along with Anderson County, are battling UP’s decision to close the shop in court, Congressman Lance Gooden (R-Texas) wrote a letter to Lance Fritz, Union Pacific’s chairman asking him to rethink the need to close the Palestine facility.

Googen said “Neither CEO Fritz, nor anyone else from Union Pacific has even acknowledged the receipt of my letter.”

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