Historic flooding in the Midwest has disrupted freight rail service
Flooding in the Midwest this Spring has been historic, and rail lines just got in the way of Mother Nature’s powerful stampede.
Union Pacific has been working around the clock in attempt to restore service for customers and communities, and has already invested about $70 million in the cleanup effort.
“The impact was more significant than even the great flood of 1993,” said UP Vice President Eric Gehringer. “The combination of large rainfall on top of snow, which was on top of frozen ground, was unprecedented, in terms of much of our railroad was washed out or otherwise affected.”
UP track in the state of Nebraska has been hit the hardest, including a line that carries about 90 trains per day in and out of North Platte, which is the home of the world’s largest freight rail classification yard.