Union Pacific begins construction on $550m rail yard in Texas

The Brazos Rail Yard in Robertson County, Texas will have the capacity to switch up to 1,300 rail cars per day, making it one of the highest capacity yards in Union Pacific’s network.    Union Pacific began construction on its new $550 million Brazos Rail Yard in Robertson County, Texas this month, the Class I railway announced Thursday.
   The Brazos Rail Yard will have the capacity to switch up to 1,300 rail cars per day, making it one of the highest capacity yards in Union Pacific’s network. It is the largest capital investment in a single facility in the company’s 155-year history.
   It will function as a classification yard, where rail cars are separated and sorted by destination before being assembled into new trains headed across the country. The yard will represent a wide variety of economic drivers across Texas, including cross border traffic, petrochemicals, consumer goods and plastics.
   “Brazos Yard will play an important role in helping Union Pacific’s men and women provide excellent service to our customers that represent a wide variety of economic drivers,” said Lance Fritz, Union Pacific chairman, president and CEO. “It also will improve efficiency and fluidity across our entire rail network.”
   The facility is slated for completion in 2020 and is expected to contribute almost $260 million in total output annually for the state of Texas, according to a study completed by Texas A&M University’s Engineering Extension Service.
   “This project has been an important part of Union Pacific’s planning for several years as we’ve monitored customer demand and economic growth across the region,” said Brenda Mainwaring, Union Pacific’s assistant vice-president of Public Affairs. “Based on current demand and building for future freight transportation needs, Union Pacific is making our largest capital investment in the Texas Brazos Valley.”