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Earlier this year, BNSF Railway Co. and Norfolk Southern Railway reported successful 2006 campaigns in the industrial development department. Now, Union Pacific Railroad is making it a threesome.

Yesterday, UP announced it attracted 210 industrial development projects last year worth a total of $2.6 billion, including new ethanol facilities in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas; lumber distribution centers in Colorado, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington; food and produce distribution centers in Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah and Washington; glass manufacturing facilities in Colorado and Washington; and a rail-car manufacturing facility in Louisiana.

In addition, the railroad helped produce distributor Railex locate a new refrigerated produce distribution facility in Wallula, Wash. The facility will transport apples, pears, onions, potatoes and other perishable items originating in eastern Washington to the East Coast.

“Industrial development activities … were very robust last year,” said UP General Director-Industrial Development Steven McLaws in a prepared statement. “We worked very closely with state and local economic development authorities on projects involving new site location and development of infrastructure to provide customers access to our rail system.”