Gulf Region Rail Operations Update

Announcement Number: CN2017-66
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: September 1, 2017

To Our Customers,

Union Pacific's freight rail service in the Houston area is coming 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.

Our Gulf Coast operations continue to be impacted by the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey. In areas indicated below, repairs have been completed and we are currently, or soon will be, operating trains.

Following are updates since our last notice:

  • Repairs have been completed between Houston, Texas and Navasota, Texas — providing another route into and out of Houston towards Bryan, Texas.
  • Repairs have been completed between Houston, Texas and San Antonio, Texas.
  • Interchange between Union Pacific and the Port Terminal Railroad Association (PTRA) is scheduled to resume today.
  • We have been able to inspect our track on the Baytown, Texas branch and intend to begin repairs today, with the effort taking multiple days. We estimate this rail segment to return to service next week.
  • One of our top priorities is to restore our east-west lines which will allow us to move trains directly between Houston, Texas and Beaumont, Texas. Once these repairs are complete, we will be able to resume service between eastern Louisiana and Houston, Texas to points beyond.
  • Repairs to track and signals, as well as bridge inspections continue where we have access. In areas where we have no road access, we continue to utilize helicopters and drones to inspect areas by air.

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.

This map is for illustrative purposes only. The map is not inclusive of all industrial leads, branch lines, or yards. Please refer to the embargo page for a complete list of active embargoes and rail station listings.

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