UP slates $450 million for 2018 capex in Texas

Union Pacific Railroad's 2018 capital expenditures program will include $450 million to upgrade and maintain its rail infrastructure in Texas, the Class I announced yesterday.

The investment will cover a range of initiatives, including $320 million to maintain track and $94 million to maintain bridges in the state, UP officials said in a press release.

Other projects planned this year include:
• a $17 million project to replace 115,469 ties and install 54,273 tons of ballast on the rail line between Ranger and Sweetwater; and
• a $14 million project to replace 116,091 ties and install 72,346 tons of ballast on the rail line between Raymondville and Robstown.

Additionally, UP last month began construction on the Brazos rail yard, a $550 million project in Robertson County Texas. Scheduled for completion in 2020, the project represents the largest capital investment in a single UP facility.

"Our targeted investments support customers and enhance our efficiency to deliver the goods American businesses and families use daily," said Brenda Mainwaring, UP's assistant vice president-public affairs in the southern region.

UP has budgeted $3.3 billion for its 2018 capital expenditures program.

For more news about Class I capex programs, read this story from Progressive Railroading's February issue.