UP opens new railport in Texas

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday marked the opening of its new Kinney County Railport in Texas.

Located between Eagle Pass and Brackettville, the $40 million facility will provide cleaning and repair services to boxcars carrying packaged beer from UP customers along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a company press release.

The facility covers 100 acres with space to expand up to 470 acres. At full operation, the railport will employ 100 people, filling positions such as supervisors, car men, laborers and support.

The railport will clean and prepare rail cars to meet food-grade guidelines so they are ready to be loaded by customers in Mexico and returned to the United States for product distribution. The project was designed to improve operational efficiency and network fluidity to help alleviate traffic congestion in the area.

"This new railport is strategically located to support our growing import beer business," said Jason Hess, vice president-agricultural products. "The Eagle Pass gateway will become a pipeline for crossing millions of cases of beer annually."