Union Pacific improves Southern Oregon lines

Union Pacific Railroad is spending $33.5 million to improve its Eugene rail yard and rail line between Oakridge and Harrisburg.

The improvements will see faster movement of goods along the rail lines.

The company is installing 26 miles of new track and more than 81,000 railroad ties as part of a 75-mile track improvement project that is scheduled to be completed at the end of March, [company spokesman Aaron] Hunt said. It also will resurface more than 100 road crossings, which should make for a smoother ride for motorists, he said.

Hunt said that Union Pacific has been seeing higher demand nationwide from shippers, a good sign for the economy.

“2010 was an excellent year, we think it’s indicative of the fact that the recession has cooled, things are stabilizing, and we’re starting to see the first couple of steps toward an uptick,” he said. “We are seeing good container volume come in and out, and a lot of customers are asking us to ship more consistently.”

Read more at The Register-Guard.

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