UP to lease 1.25 miles of Kansas City trackage to new shortline railroad

Jaguar Transport’s Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad will serve local industries

WASHINGTON – Union Pacific will lease 1.25 miles of trackage in Kansas City, Missouri, to a new Jaguar Transport short line in March.

The Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad will serve a cluster of customers located off UP’s KC Metro Big Mary Subdivision between milepost 0.63 and milepost 1.6 in Kansas City, according to a regulatory filing. KCWB also will lease and operate the adjacent State Line Yard trackage.

“Union Pacific and Jaguar Transport are excited about the growth potential of the … short line railroad and the positive impact that the operation will have on local industries,” UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said.

The deal – the second transfer this year of UP local switching operations to a short line – is scheduled to take effect on or after March 2.

UP is handing off local and yard operations in Eugene, Oregon, to Genesee & Wyoming short line Central Oregon & Pacific.

Jaguar representatives did not respond to an email requesting additional information about the Kansas City transaction. Jaguar currently operates 15 short lines, including industrial switching agreements.

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