OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will improve part of Illinois’ transportation infrastructure with a nearly $22 million investment to its rail line that runs from Dupo to near Fults, Ill.
The projects include installing nearly 48 miles of new rail, replace six switches – the machines that guide a train from one track to another and renew the surfaces in 89 road crossings. The rail replacement project began May 4 and is scheduled to be completed the first week of July. The road surfacing improvement projects began in April and are scheduled to be completed in mid September and the switch replacement began in March and is expected to be completed by the end of May.
Union Pacific plans to spend approximately $2.5 billion in 2010 to support America’s current and future freight transportation needs and enhance the safety and efficiency of the railroad’s 32,000-mile network. Investment in rail capacity benefits everyone.
It allows freight rail service to grow, helping to build a cleaner environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, freight trains are nearly four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Motorists also benefit from reduced congestion on highways as a single Union Pacific train can remove up to 300 trucks off our roads.
