Union Pacific backups persist

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 4/1/1998

Though Union Pacific insists that it is clearing congestion from major corridors and in its Houston yards, the rail carrier admits that the crisis at the Laredo gateway on the Mexican border is getting worse, affecting operations as far north as Oklahoma and Kansas.

In its March 23 report to the Surface Transportation Board, UP reported, "Trains bound for Mexico are clogging sidings and yards from Laredo through San Antonio to Fort Worth and east from San Antonio toward Houston on the former [Southern Pacific] line." UP lays at least part of the blame on the Mexican carrier TFM for being unable to accept more cars bound for Mexico. UP adds that intermodal trains from California are being delayed for want of locomotive power.

Throughout its system, the railroad was holding an average of more than 300 trains a week because of congestion or the lack of sufficient locomotives or crews. A year ago, the average number of trains held for those reasons was less than 120.