NEW ORLEANS — Union Pacific has reopened its line between St. James, La., and New Orleans, after Kansas City Southern restored service on Thursday.
In a Friday notification to customers, UP said it has generators in place to operate signals and crossing gates until power is restored. The railroad’s Avondale, La., intermodal terminal remains closed until further notice. While interchange has resumed with Norfolk Southern, interchange is not allowed during the city’s 8 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew. Other interchange in New Orleans remains under embargo.
KCS informed its customers of the reopening of the New Orleans Subdivision two days after it restored service on its Gulfport Division, but cautioned that delays remain likely while the traffic backlog is addressed and until normal operating speeds can be reestablished.
Agreed Charles. Railroads are one of the few operations that control their own destiny. Owning your own right of way clearly has its own benefits, whereas they can haul in whatever materials and support necessary to maintain ops while everyone around them is still in crisis management mode.
One is amazed how quickly rail service is restored after hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, washouts, derailments and (in wartime) heavy bombing raids. Good work guys, America is proud of you!
Now with PTC signaling and the need to test and retest and retest the controls, it’s even more incredible.