UP wraps up $38 million Southern California rail upgrades

UP wraps up $38 million Southern California rail upgrades Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Railroad said last week it has completed a $38 million track improvement projects on two of its main line tracks in the Los Angeles Basin nearly seven days ahead of schedule.
   The track improvements, designed to allow better handling of freight traffic, were made to rail lines through the City of Industry, Mira Loma, Pedley, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Montebello, City of Commerce, Hobart, El Monte, Bassett and La Puente.
   UP crews installed more than 93,000 concrete ties, spread 110,000 tons of rock ballast, replaced the surfaces at 18 road crossings, replaced 33 turnouts that guide a train from one track to another, replaced 36 miles of straight rail, and replaced 1,800 feet of rail in various curves on the lines.
   Union Pacific's track renewal train, named the TRT 909, completed most of these projects. The TRT 909 installs rail and concrete ties in one pass — up to 5,000 ties in a 12-hour day. About 30 cars, each carrying 168 concrete ties, are part of the TRT. Three sets of gantry cranes move the concrete ties forward for the TRT to drop into place, and the machine then threads the new rail onto the ties. The worn ties are picked up and the discarded rail threaded out as the machine works its way down the track. A conveyor moves the removed ties into position for the gantry cranes to load them onto the cars for removal to a facility for sorting. The TRT 909 can install concrete, composite and wooden ties.
   The projects' impacts on road and Metrolink commuters led to the creation of a toll-free number by UP that provided commuters with information in both English and Spanish regarding current project impacts. The hotline was so successful that UP plans to activate the system during major Los Angeles Basin improvement projects in the future.
   The improvements are part of a major maintenance program throughout the firm's rail 32,400-mile system.