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On Friday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, Union Pacific Railroad executives and local officials helped unveil an employee-designed and built AutoFlex™ rail car during a ceremony held at a car shop in DeSoto, Mo.

The 90-foot-long, multi-level car can easily be transformed from two to three decks based on a customer's vehicle needs: three decks to transport small vehicles or two decks to accommodate large vehicles, UP officials said in a prepared statement.

“Traditional vehicle-carrying rail cars have either two or three decks and cannot be converted from one to the other,” they said.

UP holds 15 patents related to the car’s design and build. The Class I plans to build 100 AutoFlex cars this year and 200 or more in 2012.

UP operates or accesses 43 automotive distribution centers, serves five vehicle assembly plants, and connects to West Coast ports and the Port of Houston to accommodate import and export shipments. The railroad also provides expedited handling services for automotive parts in both box cars and containers destined for Mexico, Canada and the United States.