Union Pacific’s Tropical Storm Woes Continue
Written by Union Pacific Corporate Communications
Courtesy of Clay Gilliland
OMAHA – While much of the western U.S. avoided major damage from Hurricane Hilary, Union Pacific took a punch in the gut, as RT&S reported yesterday.
Union Pacific issued a press release last night that assesses the situation, including news of a new tropical storm, Harvey, that hit the Texas Gulf Coast earlier today.
Here is Union Pacific’s full release on the remaining impact of Tropical Storm Hilary, and the new impact of Tropical Storm Harold:
“Southern California
Between Banning and Indio, California (Yuma subdivision) – Mud continues to flow back onto the tracks. Our Operating and Engineering teams are bringing in additional equipment to assist in clearing the track. There is a segment of double track that traverses a bridge that will need to be rebuilt. We anticipate one of these tracks will reopen early in the morning. Once the first track is open, we will have limited use of this line segment. The second track is dependent upon the bridge repair. Early estimates indicate the track may be out of service for approximately two weeks.
“Although we have returned service to some of the impacted segments, it will take multiple days to work through the backlog of trains. For safety purposes, these line segments will have temporary slow order speed restrictions placed upon them. We will also need to re-align locomotive power and crews to the region and customers should expect extended delays through the week.
“Texas Gulf Coast
Tropical Storm Harold made landfall earlier today along the Texas Gulf Coast. Our network has experienced high winds and heavy rainfall. We currently have a five-mile stretch of track underwater in Corpus Christi, Texas, that will remain out of service until the water recedes and the track can be inspected.
“Please continue to reference our Hurricane Planning and Recovery page, which outlines best practices to follow during the hurricane season.
“We will continue to provide updates on the status of our network. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care & Support at 800-272-8777 or your Union Pacific representative.”
