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It's going to take Union Pacific Railroad a while to recover from severe storms in California and Nevada. The Class I will have access to only one-third of its normal capacity between the Los Angeles Basin and several points east "for an extended period," UP officials said yesterday in a prepared statement

The railroad's Sunset Route between L.A. and El Paso, Texas, has reopened, but two of five main routes in and out of the L.A. Basin remain closed. UP officials believe it will take up to two weeks to reopen a L.A.-to-Salt Lake City line damaged by flooding and mudslides. One of two primary east-west routes between L.A. and the Midwest, the line averages 25 trains daily.

Meanwhile, a coastal route between L.A. and Oakland remains riddled with debris from mudslides and officials aren't sure when the line will reopen. About eight freight and a number of passenger trains use the line daily.

UP is assigning managers and crews from other locations to help restore rail service, and rerouting a number of trains on Burlington Northern Santa Fe's lines. The railroad also has instituted embargoes to restrict traffic moving to and from L.A. and the Las Vegas area.