UP tweaks West Coast-Chicago intermodal services, wins Lowe's top rail award

To accommodate a growing need for truck-competitive services between western U.S. markets and Chicago, Union Pacific Railroad recently increased the frequency of its intermodal services between Chicago and both Northern California and Portland, Ore.

The "top-tier, premium" intermodal services offer four-day delivery in the morning, UP officials said in a press release. The "Portland Premium" service operates six days per week westbound and five days per week eastbound between Chicago and Portland, and the "NorCal" service operates between five and seven days per week between Chicago and Northern California, depending on direction and specific origin/destination points, they said. NorCal service involves UP's intermodal ramps in Oakland and Lathrop, Calif.

The Class I's intermodal team aims to provide a range of multi-modal transportation solutions for both domestic and international freight, including door-to-door and ramp-to-ramp services, UP officials said.

Meanwhile, UP recently received the 2013 Rail Carrier of the Year Award from Lowe's Home Improvement, the third consecutive year the Class I has won the award and the fourth time overall since Lowe's rail carrier recognition program began in 2009.

The award recognizes the Class I's "superior commitment" to customer service and efforts to provide a variety of transportation solutions, UP officials said. To meet Lowe's transportation needs, the railroad partners with UP subsidiary Union Pacific Distribution Services, which provides various door-to-door services.

"This award is representative of the ongoing efforts made by our employees to deliver superior customer service and the value we strive to create for the Lowe's team every day," said Brad Thrasher, UP's vice president and general manager of industrial products.