Railroad News

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 10/5/2022 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Over the next six months, 50 electric Ford Lightning pickups and 17 Ford Mustang Mach-Es will be delivered to select field locations across the railroad's 23-state network. Photo – up.com

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 9/26/2022 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Recycling used rail ties into bio feedstocks is one of the sustainability initiatives that UP and Shell will explore. Photo – UP's Inside Track blog

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 9/13/2022 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Corp. yesterday announced it issued a $600 million green bond offering to fund investments aimed at decarbonizing the company's footprint and achieving set emissions-reduction targets.The bond transaction was finalized Sept. 9, UP officials said in a press release.The bonds underscore UP's commitment to achieving its climate-action goals: reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and Scope 3 GHG emissions on a well-to-wheel basis from locomotive operations 26% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, and net zero by 2050, they said.Expenditures to be funded with proceeds from the green bond offering may include new battery-electric locomotives; locomotive modernizations that reduce GHG emissions and increase fuel efficiency; intermodal facility expansions that promote the modal shift of freight to rail; new sidings and extensions that increase train length and reduce dwell time;  and the development of onsite or offsite generation and distribution of renewable energy from solar or wind sources."When it comes to finding ways to decarbonize our footprint, every idea is on the table. We are acting now on our most promising avenues to make progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in technology to support future initiatives," said Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz.

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 8/30/2022 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad and representatives from the city of Houston, Harris County and the Bayou City Initiative announced last week they've begun discussions toward an agreement on measures to remediate a former wood-tie preserving site.The announcement follows a meeting between the railroad and other parties concerning the former Houston Wood Preserving Works Site. The Class I has notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that it is involved in the discussions, UP officials said in a press release.The city, county and Bayou City Initiative have joined UP in asking for a temporary pause in the agency’s processing of a hazardous waste management permit, allowing the local parties to discuss ways to speed up remediation. The pause in processing the permit is not intended to circumvent the administrative process and does not impact private litigation, UP officials said."The well-being of all Houstonians — including our important neighbors in the Fifth Ward and those nearby — are at the heart of all our steps, rooted in compassion, collaboration and, most importantly, action," said Clint Schelbitzki, assistant vice president of public affairs for UP's southern region.UP inherited the site in 1997 after its merger with Southern Pacific Transportation Co. Since then, the Class I has conducted investigative and cleanup work under the oversight and approval of the TCEQ.In 2019, the Texas State Department of Health Services conducted a study and identified a cancer cluster in a census tract covering more than 8,000 acres, which includes the Fifth Ward neighborhood and the wood-tie site. The former Houston Wood Preserving Works Site represents 33 acres, or less than 0.4%, of the total region included in the study.On Aug. 23, UP withdrew 22 appeals related to the site. The railroad's motions are limited to property-damage claims and do not seek to dismiss any pending personal-injury claims, company officials said in a press release.