UPR Invests $11 Million For Illinois Infrastructure Improvements
By Pritha Dey
Union Pacific Railroad is enhancing Illinois’ transportation infrastructure by investing $11 million in the rail line that runs between Nelson and near Manlius. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.
The 22-mile project includes replacing the rail and eight switches – the machines that move a train from one track to another.
Union Pacific plans to invest $3.6 billion in its rail network during 2012, supporting America’s current and future freight transportation needs and enhancing the safety and efficiency of the railroad’s 32,000-mile network.
Union Pacific’s capital and maintenance program exceeds infrastructure spending of the state highway departments in 46 states. These are private investments, not taxpayer dollars.
Improved and additional rail capacity benefits everyone. It allows freight rail service to grow, contributing to 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.
