OMAHA — Union Pacific says it expects to complete bridge repairs this weekend on the Iowa line which has been closed since a Monday derailment that sent asphalt into a creek near Hampton, Iowa.
“Key bridge materials” are expected onsite today (Friday, Sept. 9), the railroad informed customers in a Thursday advisory, allowing the line between Mason City and Ames to reopen this weekend. Even after the line reopens, two embargoes — one for interchange shipments at Superior, Wis., and St. Paul, Minn., and one for shipments originating or destined for the area between Des Moines, Iowa, and South St. Paul, Minn., will continue to until a backlog of traffic is addressed.
Some shipments are being rerouted, adding 48 to 72 hours to transit time.
The bridge was damaged in a 44-car derailment that occurred about 3:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 5 [see “Union Pacific derailment spils asphalt …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 6, 2022].
This is the UP east line from MSP to KCMO. The UP west line for MSP to KCMO goes by way of Council Bluffs.
Railfans in Cedar Falls have been watching a bevy of redirected (Manly) traffic via the Iowa Northern to the UP line in Cedar Rapids.
This line does not go through Ames. Some of its trains do, by using the connection at Nevada.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hampton,+IA+50441/@42.7687642,-93.2290985,2317m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f1c92c9478acc1:0xe3383df5ab300d39!8m2!3d42.7425009!4d-93.2103402?hl=en
How about a map?