UP to build classification yard in east-central Texas

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday announced it will move forward with plans to build a classification yard in Robertson County, Texas.

The state is experiencing exponential population growth that's increasing demand for building materials and consumer goods, UP officials said in a press release. The yard will help meet the region's growing freight transportation needs while taking trucks off local highways, they said.

To be built between Mumford and Hearne, Texas, the yard will be used to sort rail cars by destination from inbound trains to build multiple outbound trains, which will be fueled, inspected by a mechanical crew, and then depart to local and regional destinations.

"This rail facility will connect the largest and fastest growing Texas markets to the state's existing freight transportation infrastructure," said Brenda Mainwaring, UP's vice president of public affairs. "The development of this project will create more than 1,400 construction jobs over a two-year period … [and] 200 permanent jobs will be needed to operate the site once it is completed."

Seven different UP lines converge in southern Robertson County, connecting markets in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, as well as the remainder of east Texas and the Gulf Coast.