Gulf Region Rail Operations Update

Announcement Number: CN2017-69
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: September 4, 2017

To Our Customers,

We continue to make great strides restoring our Gulf Coast operations impacted by the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey. Where repairs have been completed we are, or will soon be, operating trains.

We will continue to do everything we can to restore service as your facilities come back on line and your teams return to work, but we ask for your patience as the safety and well-being of our employees and their families is our top priority. As work continues, we remain committed to providing the most up-to-date feedback to allow your teams to make effective decisions for your operations. 

As Union Pacific's freight rail service in the Houston area comes back on line, people are urged to be safe at railroad crossings and along railroad tracks. While tracks may have been dormant for several days following the storm, many of them are now active. As always, heed all warning signs and signals at crossings and do not trespass on railroad property or along railroad tracks. Additional rail safety information can be found at www.up.com/worththewait

Following are updates since our last notice: 

  • We have gained access to our rail line near Crosby, Texas, and have begun work to repair and restore the two lines that link the Houston and Beaumont, Texas, areas together. Work is progressing well and we anticipate opening up one, if not both, of these lines within 48 hours.
  • The Baytown branch line from Market Street yard through Baytown to Dayton, Texas, is back in service.
  • Flooding remains an issue in the Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur, Texas, areas. We are inspecting and repairing our track as access allows.
  • Where routes are open and crews are available, the Southern Region of our network is operating trains at normal levels today (Labor Day).  
  • We continue to adjust our transportation plan to route trains around the out-of-service line segments. The change in traffic flows has created crew availability challenges. Where feasible, crews are signing up and training on temporary work location assignments to assist with the recovery effort. Your patience as we work through this issue with the support of our train crews is appreciated.  

A complete list of active Union Pacific embargoes can be viewed on our embargo page. The embargoes are for all rail traffic, including intermodal equipment and automotive shipments. 

If you have questions regarding the movement of specific rail equipment, please continue to input Service Issues via our secure customer website, MyUPRR.com (User ID and password required). Our Hurricane Hotline is 800-365-6963 and should be used by our customers to report any damage to facilities that would impact our ability to provide service once operations resume. This information should include damage or tracks out of service and estimated facility repair time.

Please contact the National Customer Service Center or your Union Pacific representative with any questions.