UP charts $102 million in Nebraska rail infrastructure improvements

In another in a series of infrastructure investment announcements this week, Union Pacific Railroad officials said yesterday the Class I will spend nearly $102 million this year to improve rail infrastructure in Nebraska.

The capital expenditures will include $90 million to maintain railroad track, nearly $8 million to enhance signal systems and $4 million to maintain or replace bridges, according to a UP press release.

Planned projects include $8.5 million to replace 53,500 concrete ties along the line between the Nebraska/Kansas border and Gibbon, Neb.; and $7.2 million to replace the track bed with 144,000 tons of ballast.

UP also plans to spend more than $12 million to upgrade a line between Marshall and near Jefferson City, Mo. The work — which began April 6 and is slated for completion by May's end — calls for replacing 82,600 ties and about one-quarter of a mile of rail in various curves, installing 45,700 tons of ballast and repairing surfaces at 84 crossings.

This year's planned capital expenditures in Nebraska and Missouri are part of an ongoing investment strategy. From 2010 to 2014, UP spent $1.3 billion to strengthen Nebraska’s transportation infrastructure, company officials said.

Earlier this week, UP announced plans to improve rail infrastructure this year in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.