Preparing for Tropical Storm Nate

Announcement Number: CN2017-77
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: October 5, 2017

To Our Customers, 

Tropical Storm Nate is forecast to hit the Gulf Coast as a hurricane on Sunday. Forecasts suggest it will bring flooding to the New Orleans area. 

As a result, Union Pacific is taking the following action:

  • To mitigate service impact, Union Pacific has activated its hurricane response plan, which includes strategically staging resources such as ballast, pumps, locomotives, generators and work crews throughout the affected region.
  • We are working with the eastern carriers to reroute interchange traffic to Memphis, as we anticipate the New Orleans gateway will be impacted.
  • We are in process of moving approximately 1,700 rail cars in our yards in the Avondale and Westwego, Louisiana areas to higher ground.
  • We have ceased interchanging traffic with area short line railroads including New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway (NOGC) and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). 

Our Hurricane Hotline is 800-365-6963 and should be used by our customers to report any damage to their facility that would impact our ability to serve them. This information should include damage or tracks out of service and estimated facility repair time. 

We will continue to monitor this storm and provide you with additional information if necessary. Please contact Customer Care & Support or your Union Pacific representative with any questions.

Original | Hurricane Nate Prep