Tempe Bridge Update - Embargo In Effect

Announcement Number: CN2020-31
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: August 5, 2020

To Our Customers,

We continue to make progress in restoring service to the bridge over Tempe Town Lake that is impacting rail operations between Tempe and Arlington, Arizona. While we have been able to reroute some trains to provide service to the affected area, we are encountering a backlog of traffic requiring the issuance of an embargo. Please see the AAR embargo page for additional details on affected shipments.

For those shipments already in route, customers should continue to expect a minimum of 72 hours of additional transit time as trains are rerouted. In some cases, the delay could be up to five days or more due to our current backlog of traffic and the volume of industries in this large metropolitan area.

Our Engineering and Operating teams have been working around the clock. All debris and damaged rail equipment have been removed and repairs to the bridge are well underway. We are currently anticipating reopening the bridge the end of next week. To assist in working off the backlog, we also plan to stage inbound trains at strategic locations to expedite delivery to customers once the bridge has reopened.

We appreciate your patience as we safely work to restore service to this critical area. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care & Support at 800-272-8777 or your Union Pacific representative.