Houston Englewood Yard Transformation Continues
Announcement Number: CN2021-37
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: June 18, 2021
To Our Customers,
Union Pacific is continuing the transformation of our Houston Englewood Yard into a premier rail car processing hub. The upcoming improvements will support your current and future business needs in this dynamic growth area in our Southern Region.
In late 2020, we began the Englewood Yard transformation by replacing the master retarder, a device installed in a classification yard to reduce the speed of freight cars as they are sorted into trains. Our next step is to upgrade the computer system that controls yard switching, a critical piece in transforming the Englewood Yard into a world class rail processing yard.
During the week of June 21, 2021, we will begin taking 5-8 tracks out of service per day in the Englewood Yard. Tracks will be taken out of service in 8-hour increments while our engineering teams bore under the tracks to install fiber optics and other hardware as part of the new computer upgrade. In total, the project will touch 64 tracks in the Englewood Yard.
The project is scheduled to last into September 2021 — until all track work has been completed. Customers may experience delays between 12 and 24 hours as a result of the track outages.
The transformation of the Houston Englewood Yard will continue later this year and into 2022. Our long-range plan includes replacement of the existing signal system and a large scale tie and rail replacement project.
We remain focused on delivering your freight as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care & Support at 800-272-8777 or your Union Pacific representative.