Union Pacific Details its Rockfall Mitigation Efforts
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Timothy Boland, senior manager-Engineering Systems, visits a rock scaling worksite on Union Pacific’s Moffat Tunnel Subdivision in Colorado.
Image and caption courtesy of UP
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. - Union Pacific's Inside Track focuses on the efforts of its rockfall mitigation teams.
Union Pacific’s rockfall mitigation teams are working as part of a $3.4 billion investment in the Class I’s plans for safe and smooth operations. According to Inside Track, crews are working “from the Rocky Mountains to the river valleys of Missouri and Oklahoma. . . to strategically bolster safety and service in special corridors.” Their efforts in the form of permanent physical installations allow for UP to provide longer-term stability and secure the landscape “with bolts or pin and drape mesh, while preventive scaling quickly removes loose rocks to prevent erosion’s natural shifts.”
UP used fire scar data and markers from the United States Geological Survey and information from rockfall event history in the development of its scaling program.
“Proactively reshaping terrain along our routes enhances rail safety and efficiency by decreasing the chance of rockslides in canyons, cuts and mountainous regions,” said Rachel Beck, senior manager-special projects. Beck continued, “Data helps us determine where we can have the most impact. . . Almost 90% of the network’s slide fence indications were attributed to weather or rock-fall-triggering events.”
Senior Manager – Engineering Systems Timothy Boland said, “Preventive measures are a team effort. . . Rockfall mitigation projects and the teams who support them are committed to keeping train movements safe.”
