Union Pacific Railroad Invests Nearly $19 Million for Track Improvements to Its Line from Groveland, Kan., to Near Hutchinson, Kan.

Omaha, Neb. – Union Pacific Railroad will continue improving Kansas’ transportation infrastructure with a nearly $19 million investment to enhance the rail line that runs from Groveland, Kan., to ten miles southwest of Hutchinson, Kan. The nearly 33-mile project includes removing and installing new rail, renewing the surfaces in 53 road crossings and replacing 14 switches – the devices that move a train from one track to another.
Union Pacific plans to spend approximately $3.2 billion in 2011 to support America’s current and future freight transportation needs and enhance the safety and efficiency of the railroad’s 32,000-mile network. Improvement projects such as this are examples of Union Pacific continuing to support its customers’ business through strategic investments.
Improved and additional rail capacity benefits everyone. It allows freight rail service to grow, helping to build a cleaner environment. Union Pacific can move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, freight trains are nearly four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Motorists also benefit from reduced congestion on highways as a single Union Pacific train can remove up to 300 trucks off our roads.
About Union Pacific
Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and provides Americans with a fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly and safe mode of freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad emphasizes excellent customer service and offers competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico.